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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  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. spring — the season
  2. drill — army training
  3. drill — a practice
  4. pass — a permit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. prune — to trim
  13. dip — to sink
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. cold — not warm
  16. rash — a series
  17. drill — the tool
  18. rash — hasty
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — of water
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — the Cold War
  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