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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. firm — steady
  3. spring — a coil
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. tube — a container
  7. firm — decided
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bass — low music
  10. capital — a city
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. firm — a company
  16. spring — of water
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. capital — money
  20. kick — in football
  21. bass — the fish
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. prune — to trim
  24. spring — the season

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