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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: prune · cell · sharp · spring · spell · hide

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. prune — to trim
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spell — magic
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. sharp — clever
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. spell — letters
  11. spring — the season
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. spring — of water
  14. spell — a short time
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — in biology
  17. prune — to trim
  18. hide — animal skin

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