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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. prune — to trim
  5. root — of a word
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — all right
  8. cell — in biology
  9. prune — to trim
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. can — to be able to
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. root — of a plant
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. can — a tin
  19. root — the cause
  20. fine — high quality
  21. cell — a phone
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. mine — for digging
  24. can — a tin

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