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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. row — to paddle
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bound — obliged
  6. root — the cause
  7. row — a line
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bound — certain
  11. ground — crushed
  12. fine — high quality
  13. ground — a position
  14. root — of a word
  15. chest — a box
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bound — tied together
  18. pop — soda
  19. root — of a plant
  20. pop — music
  21. chest — of your body
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fine — all right

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