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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: staff · fall · prune · tear · board · rush · wound · snap

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. fall — to drop
  3. board — to get on
  4. snap — to click
  5. staff — a stick
  6. rush — hurry
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. wound — an injury
  10. board — a committee
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. tear — from crying
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fall — the season
  19. tear — to rip
  20. fall — to drop
  21. tear — from crying
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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