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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. rock — music
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. cap — of ice
  10. game — a match
  11. tube — a container
  12. lean — thin
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rock — a stone
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. cap — a lid
  17. game — wild animals
  18. cap — a hat
  19. bear — the animal
  20. snap — to click
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. tube — the underground
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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