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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 116 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. sharp — clever
  5. cap — a lid
  6. shower — rain
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — to breed
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. mate — a friend
  11. shower — to wash
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. cap — a hat
  15. hand — in cards
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. hand — help
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bore — to drill
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bore — to tire
  24. sharp — exactly

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