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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bark — to shout
  3. lean — thin
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. saw — the tool
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rock — a stone
  14. clip — for paper
  15. lean — to bend
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pitch — completely
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — a video
  20. rock — music
  21. toast — bread
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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