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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. kid — to tease
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. bass — the fish
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. foot — a measure
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. kid — child
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. rock — a stone
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bass — low music
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rock — music
  24. cold — an illness

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