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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. land — a country
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. wound — an injury
  5. spell — letters
  6. cue — a signal
  7. spell — a short time
  8. key — the most important part
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — shares
  11. cue — for pool
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. cue — a hint
  14. stock — goods
  15. spell — magic
  16. key — in music
  17. land — to come down
  18. prune — to trim
  19. land — ground
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. key — for a lock
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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