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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mine — for digging
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. spring — of water
  9. last — to go on
  10. spring — the season
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. last — final
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. spring — a coil
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. last — finally
  22. deal — to handle
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — hasty

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