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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. last — to go on
  3. capital — money
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. last — final
  7. drill — the tool
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. prune — to trim
  14. last — finally
  15. capital — a city
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. kick — in football
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. drill — army training
  20. prune — to trim
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. wave — with your hand

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