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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 116 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. can — a tin
  3. wind — moving air
  4. can — to be able to
  5. cue — a signal
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. rash — a series
  9. can — a tin
  10. spring — a coil
  11. prune — to trim
  12. hand — in cards
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a hint
  15. bank — for money
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bank — for money
  20. wind — moving air
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bank — of a river
  24. hand — help

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