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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. foot — a measure
  3. staff — employees
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. band — a music group
  9. rest — a break
  10. band — a ring
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rest — what's left
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. rest — what's left
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. pitcher — a jug

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