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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. prune — to trim
  6. spring — a coil
  7. face — to point toward
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. spring — of water
  12. cold — an illness
  13. club — for golf
  14. face — part of the head
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. face — to confront
  18. cold — not warm
  19. club — for dancing
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. club — a group

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