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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. fall — the season
  4. can — to be able to
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fall — to drop
  7. can — a tin
  8. prune — to trim
  9. season — in sport
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. mug — a cup
  12. spring — of water
  13. season — of the year
  14. can — a tin
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bulb — for light
  17. mug — a face
  18. bulb — for light
  19. spring — a coil
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fall — to drop
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. mug — to rob
  24. spring — the season

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