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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. shower — rain
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. capital — money
  7. spring — of water
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. present — a gift
  12. shower — to wash
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. spring — the season
  18. prune — to trim
  19. present — the time now
  20. prune — to trim
  21. dip — to sink
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. present — there
  24. fork — in a road

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