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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. spring — the season
  3. prune — to trim
  4. row — to paddle
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. rush — hurry
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. spell — a short time
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — of water
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. spell — magic
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. spell — letters
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — a line

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