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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fall — the season
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. fall — to drop
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. present — there
  8. fall — to drop
  9. present — the time now
  10. degree — an amount
  11. toast — bread
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. present — a gift
  20. prune — to trim
  21. degree — temperature
  22. sharp — clever
  23. kick — in football
  24. degree — from a university

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