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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. prune — to trim
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. wound — an injury
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. suit — to fit
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. suit — clothes
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wound — an injury
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. deal — to handle
  22. sharp — clever
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. deal — an agreement

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