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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. land — to come down
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. track — a song
  5. land — a country
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. spring — a coil
  8. capital — money
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pop — music
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. pop — to visit
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. capital — a city
  15. spring — the season
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. prune — to trim
  19. land — ground
  20. track — a path
  21. track — to keep track
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. prune — to trim
  24. spring — of water

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