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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. present — there
  3. season — of the year
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. present — a gift
  7. season — in sport
  8. shower — to wash
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. wind — moving air
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. wind — moving air
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. saw — the tool
  17. firm — decided
  18. shower — rain
  19. firm — steady
  20. saw — the tool
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. present — the time now
  23. firm — a company
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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