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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. spring — of water
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. spring — the season
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pitch — completely
  8. band — a music group
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. ground — crushed
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bore — to tire
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. ground — the earth
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. prune — to trim
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bore — to drill
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. ground — a position

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