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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. march — the month
  6. mark — a grade
  7. ground — the earth
  8. craft — boats
  9. mark — a trace
  10. tear — to rip
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. tear — from crying
  13. prune — to trim
  14. craft — a skill
  15. tear — from crying
  16. spring — of water
  17. bulb — for light
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. spring — a coil
  22. ground — crushed
  23. prune — to trim
  24. ground — a position

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