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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 116 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: prune · club · leaves · game · spell · tube · deal · lean

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — a match
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. club — for dancing
  9. prune — to trim
  10. spell — a short time
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — to handle
  14. lean — thin
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. tube — the underground
  17. club — a group
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. prune — to trim
  20. spell — letters
  21. lean — to bend
  22. game — wild animals
  23. spell — magic
  24. tube — a container

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