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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. drill — army training
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. shower — to wash
  6. lie — to recline
  7. drill — the tool
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. spell — letters
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. game — wild animals
  14. shower — rain
  15. game — a match
  16. drill — a practice
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. prune — to trim
  19. spell — magic
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stem — to come from
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. spell — a short time
  24. rest — what's left

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