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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. object — a thing
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. prune — to trim
  5. board — a committee
  6. prune — to trim
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a ring
  9. perch — the fish
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. object — to protest
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. object — an aim
  16. band — a music group
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — a phone
  21. board — to get on
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. lean — to bend
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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