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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: spell · prune · bear · ground · mate · club · mine · pop

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bear — the animal
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — letters
  6. mine — for digging
  7. spell — a short time
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bear — the animal
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — the earth
  14. mate — a partner
  15. club — a group
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. prune — to trim
  19. ground — crushed
  20. club — for dancing
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. club — for golf
  24. mate — to breed

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