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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — the animal
  3. prune — to trim
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. spring — the season
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. prune — to trim
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. toast — bread
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. stock — shares
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. spring — a coil
  19. stock — goods
  20. spring — of water
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. shower — to wash
  23. foot — a measure
  24. shower — rain

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