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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — crushed
  3. staff — employees
  4. fine — high quality
  5. staff — a stick
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bound — certain
  8. season — of the year
  9. plane — a tool
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. season — in sport
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — obliged
  14. prune — to trim
  15. ground — the earth
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. staff — employees
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. fine — all right
  21. bore — to tire
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. bore — to drill
  24. prune — the fruit

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