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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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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: bound · sharp · squash · prune · patient · row · lean · wave

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. row — to paddle
  7. bound — obliged
  8. row — a line
  9. squash — the sport
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. lean — to bend
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — certain
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — to crush
  24. lean — thin

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