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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 120 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 have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. row — a line
  3. spell — magic
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. ground — the earth
  7. foot — a measure
  8. bulb — for light
  9. spell — a short time
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. ground — a position
  16. spell — letters
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. ground — crushed
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. branch — a division
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bulb — for light
  24. branch — of a bank

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