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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. march — the month
  3. prune — to trim
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. march — music
  6. cue — a hint
  7. tube — a container
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. spell — letters
  10. cue — for pool
  11. club — a group
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. cue — a signal
  14. kid — to tease
  15. tube — the underground
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. spell — a short time
  18. club — for dancing
  19. spell — magic
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — child
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. march — the month
  24. club — for golf

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