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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. rest — a break
  3. ground — a position
  4. stand — to bear
  5. rest — what's left
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. spell — a short time
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. ground — crushed
  14. rest — what's left
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. ground — the earth
  17. toast — bread
  18. spell — letters
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. spell — magic
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. prune — the fruit

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