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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. track — a song
  5. kick — in football
  6. spring — a coil
  7. rash — a series
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rash — hasty
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a path
  15. sharp — clever
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — of water
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. prune — to trim
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. mine — for digging

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