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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. mine — for digging
  4. tear — to rip
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. tear — from crying
  8. craft — boats
  9. ground — a position
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. ground — crushed
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — music
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. craft — a skill
  22. pop — soda
  23. tear — from crying
  24. prune — to trim

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