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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. shower — rain
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — to shout
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. rest — what's left
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bass — the fish
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bass — low music
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. tube — a container
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. rest — a break
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. tube — the underground
  24. prune — to trim

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