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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. game — a match
  3. tear — to rip
  4. spring — of water
  5. game — wild animals
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. tear — from crying
  9. lie — to recline
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pound — a weight
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. season — of the year
  15. spring — the season
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. spring — a coil
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. prune — to trim
  22. season — in sport
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. tear — from crying

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