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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  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. spell — a short time
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. hand — in cards
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bear — the animal
  6. season — of the year
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. march — music
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. season — in sport
  12. march — the month
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — to drill
  15. spell — letters
  16. hand — help
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bear — the animal
  19. spell — magic
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. march — the month
  23. bear — to put up with
  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