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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. spring — of water
  5. kick — in football
  6. fork — in a road
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. spring — a coil
  12. shower — rain
  13. toast — bread
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to click
  17. shower — to wash
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. spring — the season
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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