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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: pass · prune · mine · ruler · cold · tear · wake · staff

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. tear — from crying
  4. prune — to trim
  5. staff — a stick
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. pass — a permit
  9. staff — employees
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. wake — a trail
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. tear — to rip
  14. mine — for digging
  15. prune — to trim
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. cold — an illness
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. cold — not warm
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. tear — from crying
  24. cold — the Cold War

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