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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: tear · rule · prune · snap · current · stick · pound · dip

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rule — government
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. pound — a weight
  8. current — happening now
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rule — a law
  11. tear — from crying
  12. current — of water
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. dip — to sink
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. snap — to click
  19. current — electric
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. prune — to trim
  23. tear — to rip
  24. pound — for dogs

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