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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: cold · prune · saw · leaves · bulb · nail · cue · spring

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. spring — the season
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. spring — a coil
  18. cue — a hint
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. bulb — for light
  21. spring — of water
  22. prune — to trim
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. cue — a signal

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