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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mug — a face
  3. pit — in a race
  4. march — the month
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. march — music
  7. prune — to trim
  8. spring — a coil
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. spring — of water
  12. mine — for digging
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. mug — to rob
  15. march — the month
  16. prune — to trim
  17. spring — the season
  18. pit — a hole
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. rash — hasty

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