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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. object — to protest
  4. bass — the fish
  5. branch — a division
  6. prune — to trim
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. object — an aim
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bass — low music
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. foot — a measure
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. plane — a tool
  18. date — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. object — a thing
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. plane — in geometry

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