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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 120 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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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. staff — employees
  4. perch — the fish
  5. spring — of water
  6. spell — a short time
  7. tear — from crying
  8. can — to be able to
  9. tear — from crying
  10. spell — letters
  11. staff — employees
  12. spell — magic
  13. can — a tin
  14. staff — a stick
  15. can — a tin
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cue — a signal
  19. prune — to trim
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — for pool
  22. spring — a coil
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. tear — to rip

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