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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. lean — to bend
  3. firm — decided
  4. firm — steady
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. prune — to trim
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. staff — employees
  12. rest — what's left
  13. staff — a stick
  14. fine — high quality
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. scale — size or range
  17. lean — thin
  18. rest — what's left
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. staff — employees
  22. scale — in music
  23. snap — to click
  24. firm — a company

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