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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. spell — a short time
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. prune — to trim
  6. spell — magic
  7. saw — the tool
  8. spell — letters
  9. stock — goods
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — to wash
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. prune — to trim
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. march — music
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — shares
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. march — the month
  22. kick — in football
  23. saw — the tool
  24. march — the month

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