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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. suit — clothes
  4. prune — to trim
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. suit — in cards
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. field — farmland
  12. degree — temperature
  13. suit — to fit
  14. rush — hurry
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. field — a subject
  18. degree — an amount
  19. field — for sport
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. degree — from a university
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. roll — a list

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