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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. game — a match
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. snap — to click
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. can — a tin
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. can — a tin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. prune — to trim
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. prune — to trim
  16. lean — to bend
  17. can — to be able to
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. rash — a series
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. wound — an injury
  24. game — wild animals

Multiple-meaning words list

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

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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