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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. shower — to wash
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bank — of a river
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — a series
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bank — for money
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — rain
  18. mark — a grade
  19. bank — for money
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. chair — a leader
  24. prune — the fruit

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