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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. mug — to rob
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. rest — a break
  7. rash — hasty
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mug — a cup
  11. pound — a weight
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. kid — child
  15. mug — a face
  16. kid — to tease
  17. rest — what's left
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. trunk — of a car

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