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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. shower — rain
  4. present — a gift
  5. present — the time now
  6. suit — in cards
  7. fall — to drop
  8. suit — to fit
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. shower — to wash
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. suit — clothes
  13. file — a line of people
  14. prune — to trim
  15. fall — the season
  16. file — a document
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. fall — to drop
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mine — for digging
  23. file — a tool
  24. present — there

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