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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. rule — a law
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — hurry
  9. tear — to rip
  10. stand — to bear
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pound — a weight
  17. sharp — clever
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. plane — a tool
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. prune — to trim

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