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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cell — in biology
  3. toast — bread
  4. object — a thing
  5. club — a group
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. scale — size or range
  8. cell — a phone
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. scale — in music
  11. club — for dancing
  12. object — an aim
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fork — in a road
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. hand — help
  17. object — to protest
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. prune — to trim
  24. club — for golf

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