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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 116 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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. prune — to trim
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. wound — an injury
  7. can — a tin
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. march — the month
  13. lean — thin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. march — the month
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. march — music
  19. cell — in biology
  20. can — a tin
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. lean — to bend
  24. wound — an injury

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