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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. scale — size or range
  3. pop — to visit
  4. file — a document
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bank — for money
  8. pop — music
  9. file — a tool
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bank — of a river
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cell — a phone
  15. lie — to recline
  16. file — a line of people
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. scale — in music
  20. bank — for money
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. pop — soda
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mine — for digging

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