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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. wound — an injury
  3. prune — to trim
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. rock — a stone
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. race — humankind
  9. tube — the underground
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. spring — of water
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. race — the arms race
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. tube — a container
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. race — a contest
  20. rock — music
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. spring — the season
  24. prune — to trim

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