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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 120 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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. file — a tool
  3. snap — to click
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. file — a line of people
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. tear — to rip
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. saw — the tool
  15. tear — from crying
  16. saw — the tool
  17. prune — to trim
  18. tear — from crying
  19. file — a document
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pitch — completely

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