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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 120 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 shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. prune — to trim
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. kid — to tease
  5. deal — to handle
  6. pit — a hole
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. kid — child
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. pit — in a race
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. tear — to rip
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. rush — hurry
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. prune — to trim
  24. arm — part of the body

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