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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. plane — a tool
  3. firm — a company
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. prune — to trim
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. firm — decided
  10. wound — an injury
  11. firm — steady
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. net — for catching
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. wound — an injury
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. coach — a trainer

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