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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. prune — to trim
  4. band — a music group
  5. tear — to rip
  6. prune — to trim
  7. object — an aim
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. object — a thing
  12. pit — a hole
  13. can — a tin
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. object — to protest
  16. tear — from crying
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. tear — from crying
  23. band — a ring
  24. pit — in a race

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