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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. snap — to click
  3. can — a tin
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. land — ground
  6. can — to be able to
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. can — a tin
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. shower — to wash
  14. land — a country
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. shower — rain
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. land — to come down
  20. prune — to trim
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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