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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mug — a face
  4. spring — of water
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. last — final
  7. last — finally
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mug — a cup
  10. tear — to rip
  11. spring — a coil
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. game — a match
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. tear — from crying
  23. last — to go on
  24. game — wild animals

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