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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: trunk · pit · rock · hide · spring · fine · prune · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. prune — to trim
  3. spring — of water
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. fine — all right
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. fine — high quality
  9. pit — in a race
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. spring — the season
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. rock — music
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — for digging
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pit — a hole
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. spring — a coil

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