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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pitch — completely
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. lie — to recline
  11. spring — of water
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. cell — a phone
  14. spring — the season
  15. squash — the sport
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. squash — to crush
  22. spring — a coil
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cell — in biology

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