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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 116 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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. snap — to click
  3. rule — a law
  4. prune — to trim
  5. net — for catching
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. track — a song
  10. track — to keep track
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. net — in sport
  13. track — a path
  14. spell — magic
  15. prune — to trim
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. rule — government
  20. net — after costs
  21. spell — a short time
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. spell — letters

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