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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cue — a hint
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. rash — hasty
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. scale — size or range
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. prune — to trim
  17. scale — in music
  18. rash — a series
  19. lean — thin
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. cue — a signal
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wind — moving air

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