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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. prune — to trim
  5. tear — to rip
  6. current — happening now
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — rain
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. current — of water
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. current — electric
  21. tear — from crying
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. shower — to wash
  24. prune — to trim

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