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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. fine — high quality
  5. mine — for digging
  6. march — the month
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. march — music
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. spring — a coil
  14. prune — to trim
  15. fall — the season
  16. spring — the season
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. march — the month
  19. spring — of water
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fine — all right
  23. lean — thin
  24. mine — an explosive

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