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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. prune — to trim
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rock — music
  5. deal — to handle
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. degree — temperature
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. rock — a stone
  13. prune — to trim
  14. degree — from a university
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pass — a permit
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. dip — to sink
  22. degree — an amount
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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