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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 120 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. club — for dancing
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. object — an aim
  6. object — to protest
  7. stand — to bear
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. club — a group
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bore — to tire
  13. object — a thing
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cap — a hat
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bore — to drill
  18. club — for golf
  19. fork — in a road
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. wound — an injury

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