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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. prune — to trim
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pit — a hole
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. tear — from crying
  8. foot — a measure
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pop — music
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pop — soda
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. pit — in a race
  24. wound — an injury

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