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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 120 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — for digging
  3. rock — music
  4. land — a country
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — an amount
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. fine — high quality
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. prune — to trim
  14. craft — a skill
  15. rock — a stone
  16. fine — all right
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. land — to come down
  20. degree — temperature
  21. land — ground
  22. craft — boats
  23. prune — to trim
  24. lash — to lash out

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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