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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. content — happy
  11. tear — to rip
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wind — moving air
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. tear — from crying
  16. content — the amount
  17. present — there
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. present — a gift
  20. tear — from crying
  21. present — the time now
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. prune — to trim

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