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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 116 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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. prune — to trim
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. tear — from crying
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. march — music
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bat — the animal
  18. tear — from crying
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. tear — to rip
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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