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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — a trail
  5. object — to protest
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bat — the animal
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. object — an aim
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. wound — an injury
  17. drill — army training
  18. object — a thing
  19. bulb — for light
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wound — an injury
  23. prune — to trim
  24. drill — a practice

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