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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 116 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. kid — to tease
  3. spring — the season
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. current — of water
  8. spring — of water
  9. bear — the animal
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. kid — child
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. field — for sport
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. field — farmland
  16. rock — music
  17. bear — the animal
  18. current — happening now
  19. field — a subject
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. spring — a coil
  22. current — electric
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bear — to put up with

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