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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. spring — the season
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. wake — a trail
  6. spring — of water
  7. present — a gift
  8. prune — to trim
  9. date — the fruit
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. present — there
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. wind — moving air
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. present — the time now
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. prune — to trim
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. spring — a coil
  23. wind — moving air
  24. safe — out of danger

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