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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. snap — to click
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — in music
  12. tear — to rip
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. tear — from crying
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. prune — to trim
  20. tear — from crying
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pass — a permit

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