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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: fine · roll · mine · bear · object · bat · kick · prune

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. object — a thing
  4. mine — for digging
  5. object — to protest
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. prune — to trim
  8. object — an aim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. fine — all right
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bat — the animal
  16. kick — in football
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. roll — a list
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. roll — a cake
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bear — to put up with

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