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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. net — after costs
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. perch — the fish
  5. fork — in a road
  6. prune — to trim
  7. spring — of water
  8. present — a gift
  9. spring — the season
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. net — for catching
  15. prune — to trim
  16. net — in sport
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. present — the time now
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. present — there
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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