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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. wind — moving air
  5. cell — a phone
  6. prune — to trim
  7. object — a thing
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to bend
  12. shower — rain
  13. prune — to trim
  14. object — an aim
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. shower — to wash
  17. cell — in biology
  18. object — to protest
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. squash — the sport
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. squash — to crush
  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