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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. spell — letters
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. spell — a short time
  9. hand — help
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. spell — magic
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. hand — in cards
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. hand — part of the body

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