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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: nail · rash · swing · lean · mark · prune · cold · bat

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. cold — not warm
  5. swing — music
  6. mark — a grade
  7. prune — to trim
  8. lean — thin
  9. mark — a trace
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. swing — to play on
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. swing — in golf
  16. lean — to bend
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cold — an illness
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. rash — a series
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. rash — hasty

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