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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  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. face — to point toward
  3. spring — of water
  4. bass — low music
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. spring — the season
  7. rush — hurry
  8. spring — a coil
  9. perch — the fish
  10. suit — to fit
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. foot — a measure
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. face — part of the head
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. suit — clothes
  19. bass — the fish
  20. prune — to trim
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. suit — in cards
  23. face — to confront
  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