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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 116 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. hand — help
  4. bore — to tire
  5. snap — to click
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. lean — to bend
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. plane — a tool
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. hand — in cards
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — a grade
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. lean — thin
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. dip — to sink

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