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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. foot — a measure
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. spring — the season
  6. root — of a word
  7. root — of a plant
  8. prune — to trim
  9. spring — a coil
  10. scale — size or range
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — a subject
  16. scale — in music
  17. spring — of water
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. rest — what's left
  21. field — for sport
  22. root — the cause
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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