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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. prune — to trim
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bear — the animal
  11. lean — to bend
  12. bear — the animal
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. rash — hasty
  15. clip — a video
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. rash — a series
  23. lean — thin
  24. bear — to put up with

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com