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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — to bend
  4. band — a music group
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. content — happy
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. board — to get on
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pound — a weight
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. perch — the fish
  14. content — the amount
  15. band — a ring
  16. board — a committee
  17. lean — thin
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. row — a line
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. board — a flat piece
  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