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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. spring — of water
  4. land — ground
  5. key — for a lock
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bound — tied together
  8. spring — the season
  9. suit — clothes
  10. key — in music
  11. key — the most important part
  12. land — to come down
  13. suit — in cards
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bound — obliged
  16. shower — to wash
  17. land — a country
  18. suit — to fit
  19. shower — rain
  20. spring — a coil
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bound — certain
  24. pass — a permit

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