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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. game — a match
  3. spell — a short time
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — certain
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. prune — to trim
  11. spell — magic
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bound — tied together
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — wild animals
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. mine — for digging
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. stem — to come from
  23. spell — letters
  24. pit — a hole

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