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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: prune · lean · pop · arm · snap · tube · rush · spell

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pop — soda
  4. tube — a container
  5. lean — thin
  6. rush — hurry
  7. spell — a short time
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. tube — the underground
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. snap — to click
  12. spell — letters
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. prune — to trim
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. pop — to visit
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. lean — to bend
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. spell — magic

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