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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. mug — a face
  3. spell — magic
  4. hand — in cards
  5. fine — all right
  6. spell — a short time
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mark — a grade
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. fine — high quality
  15. mine — for digging
  16. hand — help
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fall — to drop
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. spell — letters
  21. fall — the season
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — to rob

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