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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: pop · prune · face · hide · charge · lean · spring · roll

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. prune — to trim
  3. spring — a coil
  4. roll — a list
  5. pop — to visit
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. charge — in control
  8. pop — music
  9. roll — a cake
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. charge — electricity
  12. lean — to bend
  13. pop — soda
  14. spring — of water
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. face — to confront
  17. lean — thin
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. face — part of the head
  20. spring — the season
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. prune — to trim
  23. charge — a price
  24. face — to point toward

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