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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. firm — steady
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. kick — in football
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. chip — for betting
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. land — to come down
  10. shower — to wash
  11. firm — a company
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. shower — rain
  15. firm — decided
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. ground — a position
  19. chip — to eat
  20. land — a country
  21. wake — a trail
  22. land — ground
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — crushed

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