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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. club — for dancing
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. face — to confront
  7. content — happy
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the sport
  10. ball — a great time
  11. prune — to trim
  12. lean — thin
  13. club — for golf
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. club — a group
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. face — to point toward
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. content — the amount
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. face — part of the head
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. ball — a dance

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