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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pop — music
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. spring — the season
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pop — soda
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bank — for money
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bank — for money
  18. pop — to visit
  19. spring — of water
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. spring — a coil
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. rush — to hurry

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