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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. spell — letters
  5. land — to come down
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. spell — a short time
  8. charge — electricity
  9. land — ground
  10. roll — a cake
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. spell — magic
  13. lean — thin
  14. roll — a list
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. charge — in control
  17. lean — to bend
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. land — a country
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. charge — a price
  23. stand — to bear
  24. prune — to trim

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