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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 116 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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mine — for digging
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fall — the season
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. saw — the tool
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. saw — the tool
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fall — to drop
  22. prune — to trim
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. pound — a weight

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