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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rash — a series
  8. staff — a stick
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — child
  11. bore — to tire
  12. club — a group
  13. shower — rain
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. shower — to wash
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. staff — employees
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. staff — employees
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bore — to drill
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — for golf

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