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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. rash — hasty
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — to tease
  9. present — there
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. present — a gift
  12. tube — a container
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. present — the time now
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. rash — a series
  23. tube — the underground
  24. rash — on the skin

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