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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — hasty
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. land — a country
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. land — to come down
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. dip — to sink
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. land — ground
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bear — the animal
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wound — an injury
  24. snap — to click

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