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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. last — to go on
  3. rock — music
  4. last — finally
  5. prune — to trim
  6. tear — to rip
  7. shower — rain
  8. present — the time now
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. tear — from crying
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. shower — to wash
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. present — a gift
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rock — a stone
  18. prune — to trim
  19. last — final
  20. present — there
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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