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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bear — the animal
  7. track — to keep track
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. lean — thin
  12. bear — the animal
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. lean — to bend
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mark — a grade
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. track — a song
  22. mine — for digging
  23. track — a path
  24. bear — to put up with

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