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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. cue — a hint
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. bound — obliged
  7. prune — to trim
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. drill — the tool
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — in sport
  13. fall — to drop
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bound — certain
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bound — tied together
  18. fall — the season
  19. prune — to trim
  20. drill — a practice
  21. cue — a signal
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. cue — for pool
  24. net — for catching

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