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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. object — a thing
  3. prune — to trim
  4. net — in sport
  5. spell — magic
  6. wind — moving air
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. net — after costs
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. spell — a short time
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. net — for catching
  13. spell — letters
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. object — an aim
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. object — to protest
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. dip — to sink
  23. prune — to trim
  24. dip — to dunk

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