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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 116 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: prune · shower · staff · pit · snap · bat · cell · suit

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. suit — clothes
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. suit — to fit
  8. shower — rain
  9. cell — in biology
  10. snap — to click
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. staff — employees
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. pit — in a race
  17. cell — a phone
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. staff — a stick
  20. pit — a hole
  21. shower — to wash
  22. staff — employees
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. suit — in cards

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