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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: prune · lean · wound · snap · shower · firm · wind · rule

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  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. wound — an injury
  3. prune — to trim
  4. firm — steady
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. lean — to bend
  9. rule — government
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — rain
  12. firm — a company
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wind — moving air
  15. firm — decided
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. rule — a law
  23. lean — thin
  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