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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 116 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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. prune — to trim
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. face — to confront
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. perch — the fish
  7. track — a song
  8. track — a path
  9. spring — a coil
  10. prune — to trim
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. current — of water
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. current — happening now
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. track — to keep track
  20. face — part of the head
  21. spring — of water
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. current — electric
  24. face — to point toward

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