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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. spell — a short time
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. rest — a break
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. ground — crushed
  15. spell — magic
  16. bear — the animal
  17. spell — letters
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. wind — moving air
  21. ground — the earth
  22. rest — what's left
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. rest — what's left

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