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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a friend
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. mate — a partner
  12. march — the month
  13. object — to protest
  14. pitch — completely
  15. object — a thing
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. object — an aim
  18. spring — the season
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bore — to drill
  21. march — the month
  22. bore — to tire
  23. spring — a coil
  24. march — music

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