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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 120 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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. prune — to trim
  3. chest — of your body
  4. present — there
  5. degree — an amount
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a friend
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. lean — thin
  13. present — a gift
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. degree — from a university
  17. chest — a box
  18. degree — temperature
  19. chest — of your body
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. present — the time now

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