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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 116 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. prune — to trim
  3. present — there
  4. bear — the animal
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. bear — the animal
  8. present — the time now
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. swing — to play on
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — in a road
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. swing — music
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. prune — to trim
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. swing — in golf
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. coach — a trainer

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