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

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wind — moving air
  4. tube — a container
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rock — music
  9. tube — the underground
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. rest — what's left
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pit — a hole
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. rest — a break
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. pit — in a race

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