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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — hasty
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. sharp — clever
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — for digging
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — the bottom

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