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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 120 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bat — the animal
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. object — a thing
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — to drill
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. net — for catching
  14. fine — all right
  15. prune — to trim
  16. object — to protest
  17. net — after costs
  18. fine — high quality
  19. net — in sport
  20. object — an aim
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. deal — to handle

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