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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. tear — from crying
  3. spell — a short time
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. key — for a lock
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bear — the animal
  8. key — the most important part
  9. present — there
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. present — a gift
  14. present — the time now
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. spell — magic
  17. bear — the animal
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. key — in music
  21. spell — letters
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. safe — a strongbox

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