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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wound — an injury
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. foot — a measure
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. snap — to click
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. row — to paddle
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. wound — an injury

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