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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. tube — a container
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. game — wild animals
  9. prune — to trim
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a document
  12. game — a match
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bear — the animal
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bear — the animal
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stand — to bear
  21. tube — the underground
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. foot — part of the body

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