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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. foot — a measure
  3. prune — to trim
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. fine — all right
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a document
  13. fall — the season
  14. last — finally
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. last — final
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. file — a tool
  19. fine — high quality
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. last — to go on
  23. fork — a garden tool
  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