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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. saw — the tool
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. current — electric
  8. spring — the season
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. current — of water
  11. prune — to trim
  12. spring — a coil
  13. march — music
  14. prune — to trim
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. hand — help
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. saw — the tool
  21. current — happening now
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. hand — in cards
  24. ruler — for measuring

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