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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. prune — to trim
  10. saw — the tool
  11. mate — to breed
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — from a university
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. firm — decided
  16. wake — a trail
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. firm — a company
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mate — a friend
  22. firm — steady
  23. degree — temperature
  24. fan — a supporter

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