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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. ground — crushed
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cue — a hint
  8. ground — the earth
  9. can — a tin
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. prune — to trim
  14. kid — to tease
  15. can — a tin
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. can — to be able to
  18. cue — for pool
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. ground — a position
  21. kid — child
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — to paddle
  24. mine — for digging

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