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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. tube — the underground
  6. mate — a partner
  7. game — a match
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. tube — a container
  12. bark — to shout
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to click
  15. mate — a friend
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. stand — to bear
  19. foot — a measure
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. mate — to breed
  24. prune — to trim

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