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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. firm — a company
  3. row — a line
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. bear — the animal
  6. lean — to bend
  7. prune — to trim
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. lean — thin
  11. shower — rain
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. firm — decided
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bear — the animal
  21. row — to paddle
  22. firm — steady
  23. field — farmland
  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