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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. ground — a position
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. band — a music group
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. deal — to handle
  11. ground — the earth
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. prune — to trim
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cap — a lid
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a hat
  22. ground — crushed
  23. band — a ring
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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