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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. land — a country
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. degree — from a university
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. mine — for digging
  8. prune — to trim
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. rest — what's left
  11. land — ground
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. rest — a break
  15. degree — temperature
  16. rest — what's left
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. land — to come down
  19. board — a committee
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. board — to get on
  23. degree — an amount
  24. stand — to bear

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