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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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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: foot · cap · lean · prune · stick · cell · hide · land

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. land — ground
  6. land — to come down
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. cap — of ice
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. foot — a measure
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cell — a phone
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. cell — in biology
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. lean — to bend
  22. land — a country
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cap — a lid

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