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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pop — to visit
  5. tear — to rip
  6. rash — hasty
  7. ball — a dance
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. pop — music
  11. rash — a series
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — of ice
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. plane — a tool
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pop — soda
  18. cap — a lid
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. ball — a great time
  24. safe — out of danger

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