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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. squash — the sport
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. chip — to eat
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. rock — a stone
  10. key — for a lock
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bark — to shout
  13. rock — music
  14. wind — moving air
  15. key — in music
  16. squash — to crush
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. key — the most important part
  20. wind — moving air
  21. prune — to trim
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. chip — for betting

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