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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 you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. prune — to trim
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. lean — thin
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. root — of a word
  8. hand — in cards
  9. root — of a plant
  10. march — the month
  11. mug — a face
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. root — the cause
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. lean — to bend
  18. mug — a cup
  19. board — a committee
  20. march — the month
  21. prune — to trim
  22. kick — in football
  23. mug — to rob
  24. march — music

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