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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 116 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: row · dip · present · pass · game · mine · prune · drill

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. row — to paddle
  8. game — wild animals
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. mine — for digging
  11. row — a line
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — the tool
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. prune — to trim
  17. drill — a practice
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. present — a gift
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. present — the time now
  22. dip — to sink
  23. game — a match
  24. present — there

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