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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. stand — to bear
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — child
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. present — the time now
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. bat — the animal
  11. present — a gift
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. present — there
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for dancing
  21. kid — to tease
  22. club — for golf
  23. prune — to trim
  24. dip — to sink

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