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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pop — to visit
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. pop — soda
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — in a road
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. prune — to trim
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. pop — music

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