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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 124 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. lean — to bend
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. mate — a partner
  5. key — for a lock
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. mate — to breed
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. ball — a great time
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. mate — a friend
  16. band — a ring
  17. ball — a dance
  18. key — the most important part
  19. lean — thin
  20. prune — to trim
  21. present — there
  22. key — in music
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. present — the time now

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