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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 120 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. prune — to trim
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — crushed
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pass — a permit
  7. rush — hurry
  8. lean — thin
  9. ground — the earth
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. lean — to bend
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. spell — a short time
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. wound — an injury
  17. drill — the tool
  18. spell — magic
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. spell — letters
  22. wound — an injury
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — a practice

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