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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: bear · shower · fan · prune · chair · saw · rule · wound

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. shower — rain
  3. bear — the animal
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bear — the animal
  6. prune — to trim
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. chair — a leader
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rule — a law
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — government

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