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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: row · rule · ball · saw · sharp · pound · lean · prune

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. ball — a great time
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. prune — to trim
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. lean — thin
  8. rule — a law
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. rule — government
  12. pound — a weight
  13. row — to paddle
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. row — a line
  16. sharp — clever
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. saw — the tool
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. ball — a dance
  24. row — a quarrel

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