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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. band — a music group
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fall — to drop
  7. roll — a cake
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. fall — the season
  10. spell — magic
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — letters
  14. mug — a cup
  15. kick — in football
  16. mug — a face
  17. fall — to drop
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. mug — to rob
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. prune — to trim

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