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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. net — in sport
  3. tube — a container
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. game — wild animals
  6. lean — thin
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. fine — all right
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. prune — to trim
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — for catching
  13. lean — to bend
  14. cue — a signal
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. game — a match
  18. cue — a hint
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. fine — high quality
  21. wake — a trail
  22. cue — for pool
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. tube — the underground

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