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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. prune — to trim
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. rash — a series
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. cap — of ice
  8. prune — to trim
  9. spring — a coil
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. pass — a permit
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — the season
  15. cap — a hat
  16. rash — hasty
  17. cap — a lid
  18. rash — on the skin

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