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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. prune — to trim
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. season — in sport
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. snap — to click
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. nail — for a hammer

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