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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. spring — a coil
  4. mark — a grade
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. shower — rain
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. shower — to wash
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mark — a trace
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bulb — for light
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light

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