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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. squash — the sport
  5. staff — a stick
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. staff — employees
  8. capital — a city
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. board — a committee
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. staff — employees
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mine — for digging
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. prune — to trim
  20. capital — money
  21. saw — the tool
  22. board — to get on
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. squash — to crush

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