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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. game — a match
  6. lean — thin
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bank — for money
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bank — of a river
  16. cold — an illness
  17. plane — a tool
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. prune — to trim
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bank — for money

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