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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. fall — the season
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cap — a lid
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wind — moving air
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rash — a series
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a hat
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rash — hasty
  24. fan — a supporter

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