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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: bore · mate · rash · lean · cabinet · wind · prune · chair

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. lean — thin
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. mate — to breed
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bore — to tire
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mate — a partner
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. mate — a friend
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bore — to drill
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — a series
  19. wind — moving air
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. lean — to bend
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. wind — moving air

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