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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. band — a music group
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. deal — to handle
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. wind — moving air
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. can — a tin
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. wind — moving air
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. pit — in a race
  17. prune — to trim
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a ring
  20. can — to be able to
  21. pit — a hole
  22. mine — for digging
  23. can — a tin
  24. racket — for tennis

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