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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 124 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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. lean — thin
  4. hand — help
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. prune — to trim
  11. shower — rain
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. foot — a measure
  16. shower — to wash
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bulb — for light
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. snap — to click
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bulb — for light
  24. lean — to bend

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