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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: row · lean · bound · can · rest · prune · chair · date

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. can — a tin
  3. prune — to trim
  4. lean — to bend
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. can — a tin
  7. bound — obliged
  8. chair — a leader
  9. rest — what's left
  10. can — to be able to
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. rest — a break
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. row — to paddle
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bound — certain
  19. row — a line
  20. date — the fruit
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. rest — what's left
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bound — tied together

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