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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 120 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rest — what's left
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — for paper
  7. pound — a weight
  8. rest — a break
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. drill — a practice
  11. hand — help
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rest — what's left
  14. prune — to trim
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. hand — in cards
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. drill — the tool
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. clip — a video
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. drill — army training
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. safe — out of danger

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