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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bound — obliged
  5. land — to come down
  6. prune — to trim
  7. lean — thin
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. row — to paddle
  10. land — a country
  11. lean — to bend
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. last — final
  15. lie — to recline
  16. prune — to trim
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. last — to go on
  19. bound — certain
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. last — finally
  22. land — ground
  23. row — a line
  24. bound — tied together

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