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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  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. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. kid — child
  4. hand — help
  5. face — to confront
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to point toward
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. spring — of water
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. kid — to tease
  18. wound — an injury
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. toast — bread
  21. rush — hurry
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rush — to hurry
  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