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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pass — a permit
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. last — finally
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. current — electric
  8. object — to protest
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. current — of water
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. prune — to trim
  15. object — a thing
  16. current — happening now
  17. last — final
  18. object — an aim
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. bore — to tire
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. last — to go on
  24. dip — to sink

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