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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. scale — in music
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. tear — to rip
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — a subject
  11. charge — a price
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. tear — from crying
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wake — a trail
  16. charge — in control
  17. ball — a great time
  18. field — farmland
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. prune — to trim
  23. charge — electricity
  24. tear — from crying

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