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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. rash — hasty
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pass — a permit
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. rash — a series
  24. sharp — with an edge

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