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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. season — in sport
  3. spring — the season
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — a coil
  10. season — of the year
  11. track — a path
  12. snap — to click
  13. bulb — for light
  14. prune — to trim
  15. track — to keep track
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. prune — to trim
  18. track — a song
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bear — the animal

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