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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. spring — the season
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mate — a partner
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. fall — the season
  9. mate — to breed
  10. rest — a break
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spring — a coil
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mate — a friend
  16. prune — to trim
  17. spring — of water
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. rest — what's left

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