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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: tube · bay · wound · fall · lean · foot · prune · rock

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. tube — a container
  5. lean — to bend
  6. rock — music
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. prune — to trim
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. fall — the season
  13. foot — a measure
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. wound — an injury
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. tube — the underground

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