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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 116 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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. face — part of the head
  7. prune — to trim
  8. object — a thing
  9. ground — the earth
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. object — an aim
  13. ground — a position
  14. stand — to bear
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bore — to tire
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — to confront
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bore — to drill
  22. row — a line
  23. row — to paddle
  24. object — to protest

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