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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a partner
  5. fine — high quality
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. current — of water
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. tear — from crying
  15. dip — to sink
  16. mate — a friend
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. tear — to rip
  20. fine — all right
  21. current — happening now
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. current — electric

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