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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. prune — to trim
  3. spring — the season
  4. can — a tin
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a face
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. rest — a break
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. spring — of water
  13. rash — a series
  14. shower — rain
  15. can — to be able to
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. can — a tin
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. shower — to wash
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mug — a cup
  24. rash — hasty

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