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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. prune — to trim
  3. lean — thin
  4. spring — the season
  5. prune — to trim
  6. last — to go on
  7. cap — of ice
  8. bank — of a river
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bank — for money
  11. last — final
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. last — finally
  17. lean — to bend
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. spring — a coil
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bank — for money
  24. snap — to click

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