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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. spell — magic
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. suit — to fit
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. object — to protest
  8. track — a song
  9. track — a path
  10. track — to keep track
  11. spell — letters
  12. prune — to trim
  13. suit — in cards
  14. object — a thing
  15. suit — clothes
  16. spell — a short time
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. mine — for digging
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. prune — to trim
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. snap — to click
  24. object — an aim

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