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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cold — not warm
  5. scale — in music
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. roll — a list
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. wake — a trail
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pop — music
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. lean — thin
  15. face — to point toward
  16. pop — to visit
  17. scale — size or range
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. roll — a cake
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. pop — soda
  22. cold — an illness
  23. prune — to trim
  24. face — to confront

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