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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  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. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — in biology
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mug — a face
  7. rash — a series
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. prune — to trim
  10. object — to protest
  11. spring — the season
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. charge — electricity
  14. mug — to rob
  15. object — an aim
  16. object — a thing
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — a price
  19. spring — a coil
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. spring — of water
  22. mug — a cup
  23. cell — a phone
  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