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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. pound — a weight
  3. net — for catching
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cold — an illness
  6. ball — a great time
  7. net — after costs
  8. ball — a dance
  9. kick — in football
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. spring — of water
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. spring — a coil
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. cold — not warm
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. net — in sport
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. stand — to bear

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