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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. present — the time now
  3. bark — to shout
  4. present — there
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. row — to paddle
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. lean — thin
  10. prune — to trim
  11. row — a line
  12. season — of the year
  13. lean — to bend
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cell — a phone
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. cell — in biology
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. present — a gift
  24. season — in sport

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