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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bank — for money
  3. spring — of water
  4. prune — to trim
  5. season — of the year
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mark — a grade
  10. cell — in biology
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. pass — a permit
  13. mark — a trace
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bank — for money
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — a phone
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. spring — the season
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. prune — the fruit

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