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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. can — a tin
  3. prune — to trim
  4. spring — of water
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. can — a tin
  7. prune — to trim
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. last — final
  10. fall — to drop
  11. spring — the season
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to click
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — help
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. hand — in cards
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — finally
  24. can — to be able to

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