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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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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: can · pit · field · spring · scale · shower · prune · wave

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. field — a subject
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. spring — of water
  6. can — a tin
  7. scale — in music
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. can — to be able to
  10. pit — a hole
  11. field — farmland
  12. prune — to trim
  13. field — for sport
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. shower — rain
  16. pit — in a race
  17. can — a tin
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. spring — the season
  20. scale — size or range
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. spring — a coil
  24. prune — to trim

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