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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  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. spring — of water
  2. plane — a tool
  3. object — to protest
  4. spring — the season
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stock — goods
  9. object — an aim
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. spring — a coil
  18. object — a thing
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. stock — shares
  23. prune — to trim
  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