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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 124 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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. charge — a price
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. spring — of water
  5. bank — for money
  6. net — for catching
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. roll — a list
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bank — of a river
  11. roll — a cake
  12. net — after costs
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. charge — in control
  15. spring — a coil
  16. charge — electricity
  17. prune — to trim
  18. row — a line
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. bank — for money
  21. row — to paddle
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. net — in sport

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