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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. season — in sport
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mate — to breed
  5. bound — certain
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — shares
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. lean — to bend
  13. spring — the season
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bound — obliged
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bound — tied together

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