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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — a line
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. lean — thin
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bound — certain
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bound — obliged
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. lean — to bend
  23. bat — the animal
  24. mouse — for a computer

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