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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. spell — a short time
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. court — for sport
  5. wind — moving air
  6. spell — magic
  7. spring — the season
  8. court — of law
  9. prune — to trim
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. court — of a king
  16. wind — moving air
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — of water
  19. spell — letters
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  24. prune — to trim

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