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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. firm — steady
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. prune — to trim
  5. lean — to bend
  6. firm — a company
  7. march — the month
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. march — music
  11. firm — decided
  12. cell — a phone
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. can — a tin
  15. lean — thin
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — in biology
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. net — in sport
  20. can — a tin
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. march — the month
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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