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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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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: file · leaves · prune · race · spring · bear · object · mate

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  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. mate — a friend
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. file — a document
  5. race — a contest
  6. spring — the season
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. prune — to trim
  9. race — humankind
  10. prune — to trim
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. object — an aim
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. race — the arms race
  17. file — a line of people
  18. mate — a partner
  19. object — to protest
  20. file — a tool
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. mate — to breed
  23. object — a thing
  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