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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fall — to drop
  4. lean — to bend
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fall — the season
  10. court — for sport
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. mark — a trace
  14. court — of a king
  15. mark — a grade
  16. pitch — completely
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. court — of law
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. lean — thin
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. trunk — of a car

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