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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: prune · lean · toast · lie · court · jam · bound · shower

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. shower — to wash
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bound — obliged
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. shower — rain
  10. court — for sport
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. lean — thin
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. lean — to bend
  17. court — of law
  18. prune — to trim
  19. toast — bread
  20. court — of a king
  21. lie — to recline
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — certain
  24. jam — a tight spot

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