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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. roll — a list
  3. ground — the earth
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mate — a partner
  8. club — for golf
  9. staff — employees
  10. club — for dancing
  11. mate — a friend
  12. roll — a cake
  13. staff — a stick
  14. ground — a position
  15. staff — employees
  16. club — a group
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. ground — crushed
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. mate — to breed
  22. wound — an injury
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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