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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: bore · land · spring · prune · dip · mate · suit · toast

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. mate — a partner
  3. toast — bread
  4. spring — the season
  5. land — a country
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. land — to come down
  8. spring — of water
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mate — to breed
  11. dip — to sink
  12. mate — a friend
  13. suit — in cards
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. spring — a coil
  17. suit — clothes
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. bore — to drill
  20. land — ground
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bore — to tire
  23. suit — to fit
  24. prune — the fruit

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