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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. cap — a hat
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. spring — a coil
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. spring — the season
  11. cap — a lid
  12. saw — the tool
  13. kid — child
  14. spring — of water
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. kid — to tease
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — a division
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. prune — to trim
  24. saw — the tool

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