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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. board — a committee
  3. prune — to trim
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. chest — of your body
  7. tube — the underground
  8. chest — a box
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fork — in a road
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. snap — to click
  19. board — to get on
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. rash — a series
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. chest — of your body
  24. tube — a container

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