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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. wound — an injury
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. band — a music group
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. last — final
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. last — finally
  19. wound — an injury
  20. band — a ring
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. prune — to trim
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. temple — a place of worship

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