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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: bat · rest · nail · prune · wave · toast · ground · lean

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. ground — a position
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. prune — to trim
  6. ground — crushed
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. bat — the animal
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. rest — what's left
  16. toast — bread
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. rest — a break
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. ground — the earth
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to bend
  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