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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. band — a music group
  3. prune — to trim
  4. shower — to wash
  5. band — a ring
  6. prune — to trim
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. spring — of water
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. lean — thin
  13. spring — the season
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. squash — to crush
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. lean — to bend
  19. spring — a coil
  20. kick — in football
  21. shower — rain
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. squash — the sport

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