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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  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. mine — for digging
  2. prune — to trim
  3. spring — the season
  4. prune — to trim
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. rule — a law
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. suit — to fit
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. spring — of water
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cold — an illness
  16. suit — in cards
  17. cold — not warm
  18. suit — clothes
  19. cue — a hint
  20. spring — a coil
  21. cue — for pool
  22. rule — government
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. prune — the fruit

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