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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. pop — soda
  3. lean — thin
  4. wind — moving air
  5. lean — to bend
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. charge — electricity
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. charge — a price
  12. prune — to trim
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. wind — moving air
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. pop — to visit
  17. game — a match
  18. tear — from crying
  19. prune — to trim
  20. game — wild animals
  21. pop — music
  22. charge — in control
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. snap — to click

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