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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. mug — a face
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. hand — in cards
  8. ball — a great time
  9. can — a tin
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. bear — the animal
  15. can — to be able to
  16. mug — to rob
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — tied together
  22. hand — help
  23. mug — a cup
  24. can — a tin

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