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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. march — music
  5. spring — of water
  6. march — the month
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — the season
  10. rash — a series
  11. kid — child
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — for money
  14. prune — to trim
  15. firm — decided
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. firm — a company
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. march — the month
  21. bat — the animal
  22. prune — to trim
  23. firm — steady
  24. rash — hasty

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