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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cue — a hint
  5. band — a ring
  6. chest — a box
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. chest — of your body
  9. cue — a signal
  10. band — a music group
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. prune — to trim
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pitch — completely
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. perch — the fish
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. cue — for pool

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