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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. roll — a list
  5. chip — for betting
  6. cold — an illness
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. bear — the animal
  10. roll — a cake
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cold — not warm
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. bear — the animal
  20. vault — a safe
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. lash — an eyelash

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