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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: present · snap · march · spring · mug · craft · firm · prune

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. mug — a face
  3. spring — a coil
  4. prune — to trim
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. present — a gift
  8. spring — of water
  9. firm — a company
  10. craft — boats
  11. mug — to rob
  12. spring — the season
  13. firm — steady
  14. prune — to trim
  15. snap — to click
  16. mug — a cup
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. march — music
  19. firm — decided
  20. present — the time now
  21. craft — a skill
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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