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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. file — a tool
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. file — a document
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. prune — to trim
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. toast — bread
  16. track — a song
  17. track — to keep track
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. band — a music group
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. track — a path
  23. band — a ring
  24. file — a line of people

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