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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. rock — a stone
  3. lean — to bend
  4. stock — goods
  5. tear — from crying
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. drill — army training
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. drill — the tool
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rock — music
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. stock — shares
  17. fork — in a road
  18. tear — from crying
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. lean — thin
  21. prune — to trim
  22. tear — to rip
  23. drill — a practice
  24. rock — to move gently

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