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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 124 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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. leaves — to go away
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. perch — the fish
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. file — a line of people
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. prune — to trim
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wound — an injury
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a tool
  18. lie — to recline
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. spring — of water
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. wound — an injury
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. spring — a coil

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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