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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. spring — of water
  6. mine — for digging
  7. tear — from crying
  8. suit — to fit
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bear — the animal
  11. spring — the season
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. spring — a coil
  14. suit — clothes
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. tear — to rip
  17. suit — in cards
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. prune — to trim
  20. staff — employees
  21. tear — from crying
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. prune — to trim
  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