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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 asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bore — to tire
  6. stock — goods
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — a short time
  11. mine — for digging
  12. pass — a permit
  13. bore — to drill
  14. rest — what's left
  15. shower — rain
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rest — a break
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. prune — to trim
  20. shower — to wash
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. stock — shares
  24. mine — belonging to me

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