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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bear — the animal
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bear — the animal
  5. lean — to bend
  6. present — a gift
  7. prune — to trim
  8. present — the time now
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. shower — to wash
  14. lean — thin
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. prune — to trim
  18. present — there
  19. spring — the season
  20. shower — rain
  21. perch — the fish
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. spring — of water
  24. coach — a trainer

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