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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 120 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — a container
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cue — for pool
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. track — to keep track
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cue — a hint
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. track — a song
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cue — a signal
  18. track — a path
  19. cap — of ice
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. prune — to trim
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. racket — for tennis

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