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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. prune — to trim
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. rash — hasty
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. last — to go on
  13. prune — to trim
  14. last — final
  15. wake — a trail
  16. rash — a series
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. pass — a permit
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. last — finally
  24. pass — to succeed

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