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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. fall — the season
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. prune — to trim
  5. track — a path
  6. fall — to drop
  7. track — a song
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. mark — a grade
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. fall — to drop
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. track — to keep track
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pound — a weight
  24. mine — belonging to me

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