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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mark — a trace
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mark — a grade
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. spring — of water
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — a coil
  23. fall — to drop
  24. foot — a measure

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