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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pop — music
  8. prune — to trim
  9. can — a tin
  10. spring — the season
  11. craft — a skill
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — a face
  14. hand — help
  15. mug — to rob
  16. craft — boats
  17. hand — in cards
  18. season — of the year
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. spring — a coil
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. pop — to visit
  24. spring — of water

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