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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. spell — a short time
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. spell — letters
  6. wound — an injury
  7. band — a ring
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. prune — to trim
  14. band — a music group
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wound — an injury
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. spell — magic
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. prune — to trim
  24. lie — to recline

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