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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. key — the most important part
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. track — a song
  9. board — to get on
  10. key — in music
  11. key — for a lock
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. prune — to trim
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. board — a committee
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. track — a path
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bore — to drill
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bore — to tire

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