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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. rock — music
  4. net — in sport
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. band — a ring
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rest — what's left
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rest — a break
  13. net — after costs
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. net — for catching
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. rest — what's left
  20. band — a music group
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. rock — a stone
  23. fan — to cool the air
  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