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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: deal · spring · saw · bat · wave · prune · mine · charge

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — to handle
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. spring — the season
  7. bat — the animal
  8. saw — the tool
  9. spring — of water
  10. mine — for digging
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. charge — in control
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. spring — a coil
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. saw — the tool
  19. charge — a price
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. charge — electricity
  24. wave — with your hand

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