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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. cap — of ice
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. cap — a lid
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mine — for digging
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. snap — to click
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cap — a hat

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