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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. row — a line
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. land — ground
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. drill — army training
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. prune — to trim
  11. stand — to bear
  12. spring — of water
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. land — a country
  15. prune — to trim
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — the tool
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. land — to come down
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a quarrel

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