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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — to tease
  4. current — happening now
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. current — electric
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. current — of water
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. stock — shares
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. spring — a coil
  22. stock — goods
  23. spring — of water
  24. prune — to trim

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