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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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468
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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. rash — a series
  3. pound — a weight
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rash — hasty
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. cold — not warm
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. cap — a hat
  13. rest — what's left
  14. fork — in a road
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cap — of ice
  24. rest — a break

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