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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. spell — a short time
  4. snap — to click
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. prune — to trim
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. chip — for betting
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. prune — to trim
  14. dip — to sink
  15. chip — to eat
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — letters
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. hide — animal skin

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