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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. chest — a box
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. wind — moving air
  7. date — the fruit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. fall — the season
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wind — moving air
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fall — to drop
  18. stand — to bear
  19. chest — of your body
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. prune — to trim
  24. foot — part of the body

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