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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. prune — to trim
  5. season — of the year
  6. snap — to click
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bear — the animal
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. rest — what's left
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. season — in sport
  24. saw — the tool

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