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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — of water
  3. mug — a face
  4. cue — a signal
  5. mug — a cup
  6. hand — in cards
  7. spring — the season
  8. current — happening now
  9. prune — to trim
  10. current — electric
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. mug — to rob
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — for pool
  17. bulb — for light
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — for paper
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. prune — to trim
  22. clip — a video
  23. current — of water
  24. hand — help

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