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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  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. ruler — for measuring
  3. prune — to trim
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mate — to breed
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — a trail
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mate — a friend
  13. degree — temperature
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mate — a partner
  16. degree — from a university
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — to tease
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. degree — an amount
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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