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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. prune — to trim
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. foot — a measure
  5. row — a line
  6. object — an aim
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. fall — the season
  12. mate — a partner
  13. prune — to trim
  14. object — a thing
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — to breed
  19. row — to paddle
  20. fall — to drop
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. fall — to drop

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