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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. drill — a practice
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. prune — to trim
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. prune — to trim
  7. band — a music group
  8. spring — of water
  9. scale — in music
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. band — a ring
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. drill — army training
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. scale — size or range
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. drill — the tool

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