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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 116 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rash — hasty
  4. prune — to trim
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rash — a series
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. spring — of water
  12. drill — army training
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. spring — the season
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pound — a weight
  19. spring — a coil
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. drill — the tool
  24. prune — to trim

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