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

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — a gift
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. object — an aim
  7. present — there
  8. object — to protest
  9. field — a subject
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. lie — to recline
  13. object — a thing
  14. chest — of your body
  15. field — for sport
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. field — farmland
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. chest — a box
  23. prune — to trim
  24. chest — of your body

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