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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. bat — the animal
  4. stand — to bear
  5. fork — in a road
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. wound — an injury
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. lie — to recline
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bat — in an idiom

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