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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. swing — in golf
  3. lean — to bend
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — music
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. drill — army training
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. drill — a practice
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. prune — to trim
  13. drill — the tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lean — thin
  17. clip — for paper
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a tool
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — to cut
  24. prune — to trim

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