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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 120 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. pop — to visit
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. rash — a series
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. rash — hasty
  12. pop — music
  13. degree — from a university
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pop — soda
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. degree — temperature
  22. pass — a permit
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. degree — an amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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