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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  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. lash — to lash out
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — magic
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. spell — a short time
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. drill — a practice
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — soda
  14. drill — the tool
  15. ground — the earth
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. drill — army training
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pop — to visit
  22. ground — a position
  23. wound — an injury
  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