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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. foot — a measure
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. mate — a friend
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — the earth
  14. rash — a series
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mate — to breed
  18. ground — crushed
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. mate — a partner
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. rash — hasty

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