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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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Word bank
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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. drill — the tool
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — a coil
  6. drill — army training
  7. mine — for digging
  8. suit — in cards
  9. drill — a practice
  10. spring — the season
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a dance
  13. press — to push
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. press — a publisher
  18. prune — to trim
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. suit — clothes
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. press — newspapers

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