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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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Word bank
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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: rush · tear · hide · deal · pass · pop · present · prune

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. tear — to rip
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. present — there
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pop — to visit
  10. deal — to handle
  11. prune — to trim
  12. present — a gift
  13. pop — soda
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. pass — a permit
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pop — music
  24. present — the time now

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