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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. suit — to fit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. suit — in cards
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. prune — to trim
  7. file — a document
  8. ground — crushed
  9. file — a line of people
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. lean — to bend
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. shower — to wash
  15. lean — thin
  16. rest — what's left
  17. file — a tool
  18. ground — a position
  19. rest — what's left
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. shower — rain
  23. rest — a break
  24. ground — the earth

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