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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 120 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. land — to come down
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. land — ground
  8. spell — a short time
  9. fine — high quality
  10. spring — of water
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. prune — to trim
  13. spring — a coil
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. spell — letters
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. spell — magic
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. land — a country
  23. fine — all right
  24. bay — to keep at bay

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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