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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tear — from crying
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. tear — from crying
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. rest — what's left
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. tube — a container
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. roll — a list
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. roll — a cake
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. rest — a break
  21. tear — to rip
  22. rest — what's left
  23. deal — to handle
  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