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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. tear — from crying
  3. object — a thing
  4. object — to protest
  5. rock — music
  6. tear — to rip
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. tear — from crying
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bank — for money
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. bank — of a river
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bank — for money
  18. object — an aim

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