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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. rule — government
  5. mark — a trace
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. present — a gift
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spell — magic
  11. spring — of water
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mark — a grade
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. spell — a short time
  19. rule — a law
  20. present — the time now
  21. wound — an injury
  22. spell — letters
  23. wound — an injury
  24. present — there

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