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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. chair — a leader
  8. degree — an amount
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. rush — hurry
  15. prune — to trim
  16. spring — of water
  17. prune — to trim
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — temperature
  20. date — the fruit
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. spring — a coil

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