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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: rule · bowl · lean · stick · perch · prune · band · net

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — in sport
  4. lean — thin
  5. prune — to trim
  6. net — for catching
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. band — a ring
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. lean — to bend
  17. band — a music group
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — a law
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bowl — to roll

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