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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. wound — an injury
  3. squash — the sport
  4. shower — to wash
  5. prune — to trim
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. prune — to trim
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mug — a cup
  10. shower — rain
  11. wound — an injury
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. mate — a partner
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mate — a friend
  17. squash — to crush
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. mug — a face
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. nail — on a finger

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