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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. prune — to trim
  4. scale — in music
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. roll — a cake
  17. hand — help
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. scale — size or range
  21. roll — a list
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. deal — to handle

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