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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 116 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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. tear — to rip
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. march — the month
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pitch — completely
  11. wound — an injury
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. prune — to trim
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. tear — from crying
  17. march — the month
  18. key — for a lock
  19. wound — an injury
  20. key — in music
  21. march — music
  22. key — the most important part
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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