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

Word bank: bear · roll · lean · toast · spell · mate · snap · prune

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. lean — thin
  3. roll — a cake
  4. lean — to bend
  5. mate — a friend
  6. spell — letters
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bear — the animal
  9. roll — a list
  10. toast — bread
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bear — the animal
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. spell — magic
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. prune — to trim
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a partner
  20. snap — to click
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. spell — a short time
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. prune — the fruit

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