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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the sport
  7. chair — a leader
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bound — certain
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. snap — to click
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. prune — to trim
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bound — obliged
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. rash — a series
  23. bound — tied together
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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