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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. club — a group
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rash — hasty
  5. object — a thing
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. object — to protest
  10. land — ground
  11. club — for golf
  12. land — to come down
  13. object — an aim
  14. season — in sport
  15. land — a country
  16. march — music
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — to tire
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. prune — to trim
  22. club — for dancing
  23. rash — a series
  24. bore — gave birth

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