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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. can — a tin
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cap — of ice
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rest — a break
  10. cap — a hat
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. foot — a measure
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. rest — what's left
  17. squash — the sport
  18. can — a tin
  19. mine — for digging
  20. march — music
  21. squash — to crush
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. cap — a lid
  24. can — to be able to

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