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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 116 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. tear — to rip
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. tear — from crying
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wound — an injury
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pitcher — in baseball

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