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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 120 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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. firm — steady
  7. file — a document
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a hole
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a tool
  12. club — a group
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — the underground
  16. hand — in cards
  17. firm — a company
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. firm — decided
  20. hand — help
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. club — for golf
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. club — for dancing

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