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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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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bear — the animal
  5. fall — the season
  6. ball — a great time
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. tear — from crying
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bear — the animal
  14. tear — from crying
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. ball — a dance
  18. prune — to trim

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