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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. land — to come down
  3. chest — of your body
  4. land — a country
  5. chest — of your body
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. prune — to trim
  8. chest — a box
  9. bore — to drill
  10. land — ground
  11. bore — to tire
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. lash — an eyelash

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