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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mate — a partner
  3. firm — a company
  4. land — to come down
  5. rash — a series
  6. mate — to breed
  7. cap — a hat
  8. rock — a stone
  9. firm — decided
  10. firm — steady
  11. rock — music
  12. cap — of ice
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. land — a country
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. cap — a lid
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mate — a friend
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. mine — for digging
  24. land — ground

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