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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. club — for dancing
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. cap — a lid
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. fall — to drop
  9. club — for golf
  10. saw — the tool
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. club — a group
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — the season
  15. fall — the season
  16. cap — a hat
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. cap — of ice
  19. fall — to drop
  20. spring — of water
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. sharp — clever

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