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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: lie · scale · perch · lash · prune · lean · stick · wound

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — size or range
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. lie — to recline
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. perch — the fish
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. lean — thin
  22. scale — in music
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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