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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lean · game · bay · spell · lash · content · prune · saw

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. prune — to trim
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. spell — letters
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. spell — a short time
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. content — happy
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. prune — to trim
  21. lean — thin
  22. content — the amount
  23. game — a match
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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