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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 120 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: mate · lean · racket · prune · row · pit · wind · ground

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. mate — a partner
  4. row — a line
  5. ground — the earth
  6. lean — to bend
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. row — to paddle
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. ground — a position
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mate — to breed
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pit — in a race
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. pit — a hole
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. wind — moving air
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — thin
  24. mate — a friend

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