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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. present — the time now
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to drill
  7. cell — in biology
  8. key — in music
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. present — there
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. key — for a lock
  13. kick — in football
  14. key — the most important part
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. prune — to trim
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. present — a gift
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bore — to tire
  23. cell — a phone
  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