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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 120 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. prune — to trim
  3. stand — to bear
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. spring — the season
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. spring — of water
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. spring — a coil
  15. can — a tin
  16. pound — a weight
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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