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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. foot — a measure
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. band — a music group
  6. mate — a partner
  7. wound — an injury
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. board — a committee
  10. bear — the animal
  11. prune — to trim
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. drill — a practice
  15. mate — to breed
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. wound — an injury
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. bear — the animal
  21. board — to get on
  22. drill — army training
  23. mate — a friend
  24. band — a ring

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