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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 120 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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. cue — a signal
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — a partner
  10. cue — for pool
  11. land — to come down
  12. cue — a hint
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. prune — to trim
  16. land — a country
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. deal — to handle
  20. prune — to trim
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. mine — for digging
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. patient — a sick person

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