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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. band — a ring
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. land — to come down
  6. mate — a partner
  7. land — ground
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. mate — a friend
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — letters
  12. band — a music group
  13. prune — to trim
  14. land — a country
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — a permit
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. spell — a short time
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. ruler — a monarch

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