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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. drill — army training
  3. drill — the tool
  4. prune — to trim
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. cap — a lid
  8. kid — to tease
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. kid — child
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. cap — of ice
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. drill — a practice
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lean — thin
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — to come from
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. stand — to bear
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. cap — a hat

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