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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.

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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. race — a contest
  4. rule — government
  5. band — a ring
  6. race — the arms race
  7. cue — a hint
  8. spring — the season
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. race — humankind
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. cue — for pool
  16. spring — a coil
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rock — a stone
  19. prune — to trim
  20. cue — a signal
  21. rule — a law
  22. rock — music
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. band — a music group

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