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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. spell — magic
  5. can — a tin
  6. scale — size or range
  7. fall — to drop
  8. last — finally
  9. can — to be able to
  10. wound — an injury
  11. spell — letters
  12. fall — the season
  13. last — to go on
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. wound — an injury
  17. scale — in music
  18. fall — to drop
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. last — final
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  24. can — a tin

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