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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 120 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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — in music
  6. squash — the sport
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. ball — a great time
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — to crush
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. foot — a measure
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a dance
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — with an edge

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