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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. spring — the season
  3. roll — a list
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. roll — a cake
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. lean — to bend
  11. spring — of water
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — part of the head
  14. prune — to trim
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. board — a committee
  18. spring — a coil
  19. pitch — completely
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — to get on
  22. face — to point toward
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. lean — thin

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