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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spell — a short time
  3. march — the month
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. scale — size or range
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rest — what's left
  10. spell — magic
  11. scale — in music
  12. prune — to trim
  13. spring — of water
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. spell — letters
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. march — music
  20. spring — the season
  21. march — the month
  22. rest — a break
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. rest — what's left

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