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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. spring — of water
  3. last — final
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mug — a cup
  11. prune — to trim
  12. last — finally
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. spring — a coil
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. tear — from crying
  18. last — to go on
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. mug — a face
  21. foot — a measure
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. spring — the season

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