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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 120 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. can — a tin
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mate — a friend
  7. firm — steady
  8. bank — for money
  9. wound — an injury
  10. last — to go on
  11. bat — the animal
  12. last — final
  13. mate — to breed
  14. last — finally
  15. can — to be able to
  16. firm — decided
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. mate — a partner
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. firm — a company
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bank — for money
  24. can — a tin

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