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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. spring — a coil
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. present — the time now
  8. spring — the season
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. present — a gift
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. pit — in a race
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. present — there
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. spring — of water
  24. fan — a supporter

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