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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 116 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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  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. pit — in a race
  2. bark — to shout
  3. spell — a short time
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. rash — hasty
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. fall — the season
  12. prune — to trim
  13. spell — letters
  14. mine — for digging
  15. rash — a series
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — the underground
  20. pit — a hole
  21. spell — magic
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. tube — in a tire
  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