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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. prune — to trim
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. shower — to wash
  7. can — to be able to
  8. mug — to rob
  9. spring — a coil
  10. rest — what's left
  11. spring — the season
  12. rest — what's left
  13. spring — of water
  14. mug — a face
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mug — a cup
  17. can — a tin
  18. rest — a break

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