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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 120 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bear — the animal
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bank — for money
  5. chest — of your body
  6. shower — rain
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bank — of a river
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. chest — a box
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bank — for money
  17. shower — to wash
  18. dip — to dunk

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