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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. cold — an illness
  5. deal — to handle
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bank — for money
  13. rush — hurry
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. fork — in a road
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bank — of a river
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bank — for money
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. cold — not warm

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