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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. fall — the season
  4. tear — from crying
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. tear — from crying
  8. present — there
  9. present — the time now
  10. prune — to trim
  11. tear — to rip
  12. squash — to crush
  13. current — of water
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. fall — to drop
  16. prune — to trim
  17. kid — child
  18. fall — to drop
  19. current — happening now
  20. kid — to tease
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. squash — the sport
  23. present — a gift
  24. current — electric

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