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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. staff — employees
  3. tear — to rip
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. tear — from crying
  7. land — to come down
  8. rule — government
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. lean — thin
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. land — a country
  15. bear — the animal
  16. staff — employees
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bear — the animal
  19. staff — a stick
  20. land — ground
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. tear — from crying
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rule — a law

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