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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 120 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. tube — the underground
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. suit — in cards
  8. row — a line
  9. suit — clothes
  10. row — to paddle
  11. mine — for digging
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. tube — a container
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. bat — the animal
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. stand — to bear
  24. suit — to fit

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