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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. club — for dancing
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. spring — of water
  5. snap — to click
  6. season — in sport
  7. stand — to bear
  8. rush — hurry
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — a coil
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. club — a group
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. club — for golf
  24. rush — a thrill

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