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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — a match
  7. bore — to tire
  8. chip — for betting
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fine — high quality
  13. game — wild animals
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. fine — all right
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. chip — to eat
  18. spring — of water
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bore — to drill
  21. saw — the tool
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. bore — gave birth

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