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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. net — in sport
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pass — a permit
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a cake
  10. rock — a stone
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. rock — music
  13. net — after costs
  14. roll — a list
  15. track — to keep track
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. track — a song
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. track — a path
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. net — for catching

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