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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. capital — a city
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. track — a path
  10. sharp — clever
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. track — a song
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. row — a line
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. capital — money
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. track — to keep track
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. row — to paddle
  24. arm — a part of something

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