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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. can — to be able to
  3. can — a tin
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bound — certain
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bat — the animal
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. rest — a break
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bound — tied together
  19. can — a tin
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. bound — obliged
  22. mug — a face
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rest — what's left

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