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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spring — of water
  4. prune — to trim
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spell — magic
  7. kick — in football
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. spell — letters
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. rest — a break
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. lean — thin
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — what's left
  20. spring — the season
  21. lean — to bend
  22. prune — to trim
  23. hand — help
  24. kick — with a leg

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