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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. toast — bread
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to click
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. fall — to drop
  11. foot — a measure
  12. prune — to trim
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. fall — the season
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. prune — to trim
  21. date — the fruit
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. fall — to drop
  24. lean — to bend

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