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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. ball — a great time
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. craft — boats
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. craft — a skill
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. cell — in biology
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bowl — to roll

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