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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. wound — an injury
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. prune — to trim
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. club — for golf
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wake — a trail
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rush — hurry
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. club — a group
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. wake — before a funeral

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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