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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. can — a tin
  3. ball — a great time
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. row — to paddle
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. row — a line
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cell — a phone
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. can — a tin
  13. prune — to trim
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. can — to be able to
  16. ball — a dance
  17. spring — the season
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bat — the animal
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. cell — in biology

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