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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. saw — the tool
  5. prune — to trim
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. saw — the tool
  9. key — in music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. net — in sport
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. key — the most important part
  18. net — after costs
  19. wake — a trail
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. net — for catching
  22. prune — to trim
  23. lean — thin
  24. dip — to sink

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