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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wound · jam · object · sharp · bay · hide · prune · pitcher

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wound — an injury
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. object — an aim
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. wound — an injury
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. object — to protest
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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