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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. land — to come down
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. land — ground
  7. march — music
  8. mine — for digging
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. current — happening now
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. current — electric
  15. bore — to tire
  16. fine — all right
  17. prune — to trim
  18. land — a country
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. fine — high quality
  24. current — of water

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