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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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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: pit · firm · prune · wound · last · present · shower · ground

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — crushed
  3. firm — steady
  4. firm — decided
  5. last — final
  6. present — the time now
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. firm — a company
  9. present — there
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. wound — an injury
  12. shower — rain
  13. pit — in a race
  14. last — finally
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. ground — a position
  17. last — to go on
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. prune — to trim
  20. present — a gift
  21. prune — to trim
  22. shower — to wash
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pit — a hole

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