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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. prune — to trim
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — magic
  5. tube — the underground
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a line
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. spell — letters
  13. pound — a weight
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. fine — all right
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. tube — a container
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. row — a quarrel

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