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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bear — the animal
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. prune — to trim
  10. ground — a position
  11. mine — for digging
  12. ground — the earth
  13. fine — high quality
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. toast — bread
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wound — an injury
  21. plane — a tool
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. prune — the fruit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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