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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 asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. lean — thin
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. fine — high quality
  7. prune — to trim
  8. scale — in music
  9. march — the month
  10. spell — a short time
  11. march — music
  12. rash — hasty
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. march — the month
  15. rash — a series
  16. spell — letters
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. lean — to bend
  19. fine — all right
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. prune — to trim
  22. scale — size or range
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. stand — to bear

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