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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bass — the fish
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bound — obliged
  7. prune — to trim
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. bound — certain
  11. bass — low music
  12. row — a line
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. kid — child
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bound — tied together
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. land — ground
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. land — a country
  23. land — to come down
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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