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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. prune — to trim
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. net — for catching
  6. band — a ring
  7. net — in sport
  8. kid — to tease
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. fine — all right
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. net — after costs
  18. band — a music group
  19. kid — child
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rush — hurry
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a tree

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