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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. prune — to trim
  3. net — after costs
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. tear — from crying
  6. track — a song
  7. rule — government
  8. track — to keep track
  9. net — for catching
  10. spell — a short time
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. tear — to rip
  15. track — a path
  16. spell — letters
  17. mug — a face
  18. spell — magic
  19. snap — to click
  20. net — in sport
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — to rob
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rule — a law

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