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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. spring — of water
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cell — in biology
  8. prune — to trim
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wake — a trail
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — a coil
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. dip — to sink
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cell — a phone
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. dip — to dunk

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