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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bank — for money
  4. kid — child
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. wake — a trail
  8. lean — to bend
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. shower — to wash
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. lean — thin
  15. wind — moving air
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bank — of a river
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. shower — rain
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. kid — to tease
  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