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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. ground — the earth
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. spring — of water
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. wake — a trail
  10. staff — a stick
  11. ground — crushed
  12. spring — the season
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ground — a position
  18. staff — employees
  19. foot — a measure
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. prune — to trim
  22. spring — a coil
  23. prune — to trim
  24. staff — employees

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