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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. tear — from crying
  5. squash — to crush
  6. club — a group
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. prune — to trim
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. tear — from crying
  11. chip — to eat
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. club — for golf
  16. squash — the sport
  17. club — for dancing
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. chip — for betting
  20. dip — to sink
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. wave — with your hand

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