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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 120 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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. wound — an injury
  4. prune — to trim
  5. face — to confront
  6. prune — to trim
  7. row — a line
  8. rock — music
  9. wound — an injury
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. face — part of the head
  12. chest — a box
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. face — to point toward
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. foot — a measure
  21. chest — of your body
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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