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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. court — of law
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. spring — the season
  5. court — for sport
  6. spring — a coil
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. rash — a series
  9. spring — of water
  10. tube — a container
  11. prune — to trim
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. court — of a king
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — music
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. tube — the underground
  24. rash — hasty

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