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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. land — to come down
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. spring — the season
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. spring — a coil
  7. land — a country
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. wound — an injury
  10. toast — bread
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wound — an injury
  18. spring — of water
  19. land — ground
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. hide — animal skin

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