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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. prune — to trim
  5. shower — rain
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. season — of the year
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. spring — a coil
  13. shower — to wash
  14. object — an aim
  15. season — in sport
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. spring — the season
  20. bark — to shout
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. object — a thing
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. spring — of water

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