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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — certain
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. prune — to trim
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. row — to paddle
  13. mine — for digging
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bound — obliged
  17. row — a line
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. fan — to cool the air

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