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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. spring — a coil
  4. last — final
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. mine — for digging
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. spring — the season
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. can — to be able to
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. prune — to trim
  13. can — a tin
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. spring — of water
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. can — a tin
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stand — to bear
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. prune — to trim

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