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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  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. foot — a measure
  2. wound — an injury
  3. file — a tool
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. root — the cause
  7. wound — an injury
  8. tube — the underground
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. file — a line of people
  12. prune — to trim
  13. toast — bread
  14. file — a document
  15. tube — a container
  16. root — of a word
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. branch — a division
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. root — of a plant
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. toast — the most admired
  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