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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. chest — of your body
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. present — there
  6. chest — of your body
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. present — the time now
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. field — for sport
  11. spell — letters
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. present — a gift
  14. chest — a box
  15. bear — the animal
  16. field — farmland
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bear — the animal
  19. field — a subject
  20. spell — a short time
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. spell — magic

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