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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 116 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. firm — steady
  6. ground — the earth
  7. tear — to rip
  8. cue — for pool
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cue — a hint
  12. firm — a company
  13. staff — employees
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — a trail
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. tear — from crying
  19. band — a ring
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cue — a signal
  22. ground — a position
  23. band — a music group
  24. firm — decided

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