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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. sharp — clever
  5. shower — rain
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. band — a music group
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. shower — to wash
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — a series
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. band — a ring
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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