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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. prune — to trim
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. club — for golf
  6. present — a gift
  7. lean — to bend
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. tear — to rip
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. tear — from crying
  12. squash — to crush
  13. present — there
  14. season — in sport
  15. present — the time now
  16. tear — from crying
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. squash — the sport
  20. season — of the year
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — thin
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — a group

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