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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. face — to confront
  4. spring — a coil
  5. shower — to wash
  6. face — part of the head
  7. roll — a list
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. roll — a cake
  10. present — the time now
  11. shower — rain
  12. present — there
  13. prune — to trim
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. present — a gift
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. face — to point toward
  18. saw — the tool
  19. prune — to trim
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. saw — the tool
  22. spring — the season
  23. sharp — clever
  24. spring — of water

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