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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. wound — an injury
  3. kid — child
  4. shower — rain
  5. prune — to trim
  6. kid — to tease
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. pass — a permit
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fine — all right
  15. prune — to trim
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. craft — a skill
  19. fine — high quality
  20. craft — boats
  21. wound — an injury
  22. shower — to wash
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a line

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