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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. foot — a measure
  5. rush — hurry
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. kid — to tease
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. wake — a trail
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. spring — a coil
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. spring — of water
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. spring — the season
  21. kid — child
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. prune — to trim
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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