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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rest — a break
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. prune — to trim
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pop — music
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — for light
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wound — an injury
  16. snap — to click
  17. rest — what's left
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pitch — completely
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. pop — soda

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