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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mine — for digging
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bound — obliged
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. sharp — clever
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bound — tied together
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. prune — to trim
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bound — certain
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. board — a committee
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. board — to get on
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. perch — the fish

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