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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. current — happening now
  3. tear — from crying
  4. current — electric
  5. cap — a hat
  6. prune — to trim
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to click
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. current — of water
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. prune — to trim
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cap — of ice
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. tear — to rip

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