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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  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. last — to go on
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bear — the animal
  4. stock — shares
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. last — final
  10. spring — the season
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. stock — goods
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. spring — of water
  17. bear — the animal
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. last — finally
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. spring — a coil
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. prune — the fruit
  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