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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rash — a series
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. mug — a cup
  6. spring — the season
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. mug — to rob
  9. club — for golf
  10. rash — hasty
  11. mug — a face
  12. pop — soda
  13. ground — the earth
  14. prune — to trim
  15. spring — of water
  16. tube — the underground
  17. pop — music
  18. club — for dancing
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — a container
  21. club — a group
  22. spring — a coil
  23. pop — to visit
  24. ground — a position

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