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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. pass — a permit
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wound — an injury
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wake — a trail
  8. shower — rain
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. board — a committee
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. foot — a measure
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. prune — to trim
  17. board — to get on
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. shower — to wash
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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