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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. lean — to bend
  4. hand — in cards
  5. prune — to trim
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. prune — to trim
  8. lean — thin
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — army training
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. rock — music
  17. sharp — clever
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. hand — help
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. rock — a stone

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