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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. spell — letters
  3. spring — the season
  4. drill — the tool
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. spring — a coil
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. sharp — clever
  9. prune — to trim
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. spring — of water
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. drill — army training
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. drill — a practice
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. date — the fruit
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — magic
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wave — of the sea

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