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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. club — a group
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. last — final
  6. club — for golf
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. last — to go on
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. prune — to trim
  11. club — for dancing
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. saw — the tool
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to click
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. last — finally
  20. wake — a trail
  21. saw — the tool
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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