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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: prune · spring · bat · row · rush · chest · mouse · safe

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. chest — of your body
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. chest — a box
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. prune — to trim
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bat — the animal
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. rush — hurry
  15. spring — the season
  16. row — a line
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. spring — a coil
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. spring — of water
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mouse — for a computer

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