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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. lean — to bend
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. prune — to trim
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. prune — to trim
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — the earth
  16. tube — a container
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — there
  19. lean — thin
  20. tube — the underground
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. present — a gift
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. jam — in traffic

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