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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rash — a series
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rash — hasty
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. club — for golf
  11. suit — clothes
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. club — a group
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. suit — to fit
  16. club — for dancing
  17. tear — to rip
  18. wound — an injury
  19. suit — in cards
  20. prune — to trim
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. tear — from crying

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