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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bark — to shout
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. spring — of water
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. track — a song
  9. track — to keep track
  10. prune — to trim
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. prune — to trim
  14. season — in sport
  15. track — a path
  16. mate — a partner
  17. season — of the year
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. spring — the season
  20. date — the fruit
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. mate — a friend
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. arm — part of the body

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