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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. prune — to trim
  4. key — in music
  5. mine — for digging
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. drill — the tool
  10. prune — to trim
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. spring — of water
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. lie — to recline
  15. pit — a hole
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. key — for a lock
  18. spring — a coil
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. key — the most important part
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — army training

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