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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. lean — thin
  4. mark — a trace
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. pound — a weight
  8. prune — to trim
  9. lean — to bend
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. saw — the tool
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. spring — a coil
  15. band — a ring
  16. saw — the tool
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. prune — to trim
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. mark — a grade
  24. band — a music group

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