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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. lean — to bend
  3. prune — to trim
  4. land — a country
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. field — a subject
  8. land — to come down
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. mark — a trace
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. mark — a grade
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. prune — to trim
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. field — for sport
  20. lean — thin
  21. land — ground
  22. field — farmland
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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