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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. tear — from crying
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — employees
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bore — to tire
  7. snap — to click
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bore — to drill
  12. swing — music
  13. stock — shares
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. swing — in golf
  16. tear — to rip
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. tear — from crying
  19. staff — a stick
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. swing — to play on
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. stock — goods

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