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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. branch — a division
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cue — for pool
  6. spring — the season
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. shower — rain
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bear — the animal
  15. squash — to crush
  16. cue — a signal
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bear — the animal
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. squash — the sport
  21. prune — to trim
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. shower — to wash
  24. squash — the vegetable

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