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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. spring — of water
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. prune — to trim
  7. current — happening now
  8. prune — to trim
  9. spring — a coil
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. scale — size or range
  14. current — of water
  15. pound — a weight
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. scale — in music
  22. mine — for digging
  23. spring — the season
  24. current — electric

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