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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lie · lean · rule · prune · pitcher · safe · fork · cold

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. lean — to bend
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. cold — an illness
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. rule — a law
  14. fork — in a road
  15. lie — to recline
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. prune — to trim
  20. cold — not warm
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. rule — government

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