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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. season — in sport
  4. rock — a stone
  5. snap — to click
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. spell — letters
  8. prune — to trim
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. prune — to trim
  12. season — of the year
  13. mug — a cup
  14. tear — from crying
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. tear — from crying
  17. spell — magic
  18. mug — a face
  19. tear — to rip
  20. mug — to rob
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. spell — a short time
  23. rock — music
  24. straw — dry grass

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