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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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. bass — low music
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. drill — a practice
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. track — a path
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. track — to keep track
  11. roll — a list
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a cake
  16. bass — the fish
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. drill — army training
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. track — a song
  23. drill — the tool
  24. foot — a measure

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