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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. spring — the season
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. prune — to trim
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. rule — government
  11. land — to come down
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. spring — of water
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. tube — a container
  18. spring — a coil
  19. rule — a law
  20. rock — a stone
  21. prune — to trim
  22. land — a country
  23. land — ground
  24. tube — the underground

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