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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. prune — to trim
  3. tube — the underground
  4. suit — clothes
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. suit — in cards
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. tube — a container
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. last — finally
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. last — to go on
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. suit — to fit
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. wound — an injury
  20. last — final
  21. kick — in football
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pound — a weight
  24. prune — to trim

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