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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 · rush · content · chair · wind · lean · bore · face

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. face — part of the head
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. face — to point toward
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bore — to drill
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to bend
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. face — to confront
  12. content — the amount
  13. bore — to tire
  14. wind — moving air
  15. content — happy
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. wind — moving air
  22. chair — a leader
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rush — hurry

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