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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 120 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 water is too ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. club — for dancing
  4. tear — from crying
  5. object — an aim
  6. tear — to rip
  7. club — for golf
  8. object — to protest
  9. club — a group
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — army training
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — the fish
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. object — a thing
  20. bass — low music
  21. drill — the tool
  22. tear — from crying
  23. snap — to click
  24. cold — an illness

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