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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. tear — from crying
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rock — a stone
  7. drill — army training
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. tear — to rip
  11. drill — a practice
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. kid — child
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. drill — the tool
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. rock — music
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. tear — from crying
  23. prune — to trim
  24. kid — to tease

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