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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. stand — to bear
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. key — the most important part
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wound — an injury
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cap — of ice
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — a hat
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. chest — of your body
  19. key — for a lock
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. key — in music
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. chest — a box

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