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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. fork — in a road
  6. drill — army training
  7. plane — a tool
  8. content — the amount
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. content — happy
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. spring — a coil
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — a practice
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. spring — of water
  21. prune — to trim
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. fork — a garden 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