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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  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. straw — a straw man
  2. prune — to trim
  3. spring — the season
  4. kid — child
  5. cap — a lid
  6. spring — of water
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bank — for money
  12. spring — a coil
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bank — of a river
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bank — for money
  18. cap — of ice
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. cap — a hat
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — in sport
  23. prune — to trim
  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