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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. foot — a measure
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. rest — a break
  6. rock — music
  7. fall — the season
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — a stone
  16. fall — to drop
  17. shower — rain
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. shower — to wash
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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