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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. net — after costs
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. wax — to grow
  10. pitch — completely
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. net — for catching
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. net — in sport
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rush — hurry
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. straw — a straw man

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