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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bore — to drill
  3. kid — to tease
  4. lean — to bend
  5. swing — music
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. swing — in golf
  14. kid — child
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lean — thin
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. prune — to trim
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bore — to tire
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. fork — in a road

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