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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 116 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fall — to drop
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. land — ground
  7. swing — to play on
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. swing — music
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. fall — to drop
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fall — the season
  16. land — a country
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. land — to come down
  19. sharp — clever
  20. swing — in golf
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bark — to shout
  23. vault — a safe
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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