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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. dip — to sink
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mine — for digging
  7. net — after costs
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. net — in sport
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. prune — to trim
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. net — for catching
  14. rush — hurry
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. coach — a trainer

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