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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. deal — to handle
  8. mark — a grade
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. mark — a trace
  11. rest — a break
  12. prune — to trim
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. fall — the season
  18. bat — the animal
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — rain
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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