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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. can — a tin
  3. cold — not warm
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — hasty
  6. cold — an illness
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. can — a tin
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. kick — in football
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. can — to be able to
  24. nail — for a hammer

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