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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. prune — to trim
  3. spell — a short time
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a grade
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spell — letters
  9. firm — a company
  10. mark — a trace
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. tube — the underground
  13. spell — magic
  14. prune — to trim
  15. firm — steady
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. spring — of water
  20. firm — decided
  21. wake — a trail
  22. spring — the season
  23. snap — to click
  24. tube — in a tire

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