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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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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. net — in sport
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. prune — to trim
  6. spring — a coil
  7. prune — to trim
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. spring — of water
  10. ball — a great time
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. dip — to sink
  13. net — for catching
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. ball — a dance
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. net — after costs

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