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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mine — for digging
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — hasty
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — the fish
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bass — low music
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. straw — dry grass

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