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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. dip — to sink
  3. club — for dancing
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. club — a group
  7. staff — employees
  8. ground — a position
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. ground — crushed
  11. mine — for digging
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. staff — employees
  15. club — for golf
  16. prune — to trim
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. prune — to trim
  22. ground — the earth
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. staff — a stick

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