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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. swing — to play on
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. swing — music
  6. bat — the animal
  7. can — to be able to
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. tear — from crying
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. prune — to trim
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. spell — a short time
  18. swing — in golf
  19. tear — to rip
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. spell — letters
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. spell — magic
  24. tear — from crying

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