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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. ground — a position
  3. pitch — completely
  4. lie — to recline
  5. wound — an injury
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. dip — to sink
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. prune — to trim
  15. ground — crushed
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. chip — to eat
  19. ground — the earth
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. chip — for betting
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. wound — an injury

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