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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: lie · prune · key · straw · object · shower · chest · snap

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. object — an aim
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. key — in music
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. key — the most important part
  8. shower — rain
  9. object — to protest
  10. chest — of your body
  11. object — a thing
  12. shower — to wash
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. snap — to click
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. chest — a box
  19. key — for a lock
  20. chest — of your body
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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