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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 116 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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. kick — in football
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. ground — the earth
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. prune — to trim
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wake — a trail
  15. ground — crushed
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. prune — to trim
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. ground — a position

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