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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. rash — hasty
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. kid — child
  6. prune — to trim
  7. kid — to tease
  8. can — a tin
  9. scale — in music
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. rash — a series
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. can — a tin
  23. prune — to trim
  24. can — to be able to

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