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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. ball — a great time
  3. pop — soda
  4. rest — a break
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. prune — to trim
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pop — music
  11. season — of the year
  12. pass — a permit
  13. ball — a dance
  14. stock — goods
  15. spring — of water
  16. stock — shares
  17. season — in sport
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. rest — what's left
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pop — to visit

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