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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. charge — electricity
  3. drill — a practice
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. prune — to trim
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. snap — to click
  9. charge — in control
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. charge — a price
  14. drill — army training
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. plane — a tool
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. drill — the tool
  24. straw — a straw man

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