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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. season — of the year
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. prune — to trim
  13. clip — a video
  14. season — in sport
  15. sharp — clever
  16. spring — of water
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — for paper
  20. wound — an injury
  21. spring — the season
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. spring — a coil
  24. wound — an injury

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