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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chest — of your body
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pop — soda
  5. stand — to bear
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. ground — a position
  8. foot — a measure
  9. pop — to visit
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. ground — the earth
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. pop — music
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. prune — to trim
  18. chest — of your body
  19. ground — crushed
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — a trace
  24. stand — for spectators

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