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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 120 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: kid · bear · rush · wave · spring · present · fall · prune

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. spring — of water
  3. kid — child
  4. spring — a coil
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. kid — to tease
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. spring — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. present — there
  13. rush — hurry
  14. fall — the season
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. present — a gift
  18. bear — the animal
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. fall — to drop
  21. present — the time now
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. rush — to hurry

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