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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. tear — from crying
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. tear — to rip
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. snap — to click
  16. bark — to shout
  17. cold — not warm
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cabinet — ministers

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