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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. prune — to trim
  3. present — the time now
  4. suit — clothes
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. suit — to fit
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bark — to shout
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fine — high quality
  14. prune — to trim
  15. fine — all right
  16. file — a tool
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. present — there
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. file — a line of people
  22. fall — the season
  23. suit — in cards
  24. file — a document

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