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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. squash — to crush
  3. stock — goods
  4. squash — the sport
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. lean — to bend
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — shares
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. key — in music
  16. lean — thin
  17. key — the most important part
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. key — for a lock
  21. rest — a break
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. rest — what's left
  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