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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. net — after costs
  3. lean — to bend
  4. mark — a grade
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. net — for catching
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. fall — the season
  10. root — the cause
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. root — of a word
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. mark — a trace
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. net — in sport
  19. root — of a plant
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fall — to drop
  22. prune — to trim
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. patient — a sick person

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