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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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468
Word bank
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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cell — a phone
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bear — the animal
  9. prune — to trim
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bass — low music
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. present — a gift
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bass — the fish
  21. present — there
  22. bear — the animal
  23. present — the time now
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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