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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. prune — to trim
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. prune — to trim
  15. band — a music group
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. net — after costs
  19. band — a ring
  20. rule — government
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. rule — a law

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