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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. prune — to trim
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. prune — to trim
  10. object — an aim
  11. stand — to bear
  12. can — to be able to
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. can — a tin
  16. object — to protest
  17. key — the most important part
  18. object — a thing
  19. snap — to click
  20. key — in music
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. can — a tin
  23. tear — to rip
  24. key — for a lock

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