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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. mug — a face
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — obliged
  9. field — for sport
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. mug — a cup
  12. bound — tied together
  13. file — a line of people
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. field — a subject
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a document
  19. mug — to rob
  20. field — farmland
  21. roll — a list
  22. rush — hurry
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. prune — to trim

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