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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. shower — rain
  4. file — a line of people
  5. object — a thing
  6. present — the time now
  7. wind — moving air
  8. file — a tool
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. shower — to wash
  14. file — a document
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. present — a gift
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. object — an aim
  20. object — to protest
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. snap — to click
  23. wind — moving air
  24. present — there

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