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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: roll · rest · kick · lean · bulb · sharp · spring · prune

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. spring — the season
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. roll — a cake
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. sharp — clever
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. kick — in football
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. rest — what's left
  13. spring — a coil
  14. lean — to bend
  15. prune — to trim
  16. roll — a list
  17. rest — a break
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bulb — for light
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bulb — for light
  23. spring — of water
  24. kick — with a leg

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