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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. spell — letters
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. deal — to handle
  5. mine — for digging
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. wake — a trail
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. cap — a hat
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. cap — of ice
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. spell — magic
  17. prune — to trim
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. cap — a lid
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. spell — a short time
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. mine — an explosive

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