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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: lean · wake · chair · snap · jam · cell · prune · arm

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. snap — to click
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. prune — to trim
  5. lean — thin
  6. cell — a phone
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. lean — to bend
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. cell — in biology
  22. chair — a leader
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. chair — to sit on

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