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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. charge — in control
  5. fall — to drop
  6. staff — employees
  7. fall — to drop
  8. charge — a price
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the sport
  13. band — a ring
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. staff — a stick
  16. prune — to trim
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. prune — to trim
  19. charge — electricity
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. mine — for digging
  22. staff — employees
  23. band — a music group
  24. fall — the season

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