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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fork — in a road
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. field — farmland
  7. cell — a phone
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. field — for sport
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. field — a subject
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. snap — to click
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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