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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 120 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. present — a gift
  3. object — an aim
  4. spring — of water
  5. key — the most important part
  6. swing — to play on
  7. object — a thing
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. spring — a coil
  10. key — for a lock
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. spring — the season
  13. present — there
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pass — a permit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. present — the time now
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. key — in music
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — in golf
  24. object — to protest

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