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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. mate — to breed
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bark — to shout
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. wake — a trail
  7. mate — a partner
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. last — final
  10. last — to go on
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. charge — in control
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. fine — high quality
  19. charge — electricity
  20. shower — to wash
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. charge — a price
  23. shower — rain
  24. fine — all right

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