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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. rash — a series
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. file — a document
  5. rash — hasty
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. file — a tool
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. shower — rain
  17. roll — a list
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. roll — a cake
  21. file — a line of people
  22. pitch — completely
  23. prune — to trim
  24. lean — thin

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