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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bass — low music
  6. club — for golf
  7. bass — the fish
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. track — a path
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. wound — an injury
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. track — to keep track
  14. content — happy
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. track — a song
  17. club — a group
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. club — for dancing
  24. content — the amount

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