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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. prune — to trim
  3. net — after costs
  4. toast — bread
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. roll — a cake
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. roll — a list
  17. net — in sport
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bear — the animal
  23. can — a tin
  24. roll — on a roll

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