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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. spring — a coil
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. spring — of water
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. pit — in a race
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wake — a trail
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pit — a hole
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. spring — the season
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pass — a permit

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