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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · march · bear · bulb · row · racket · file · prune

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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. march — the month
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bulb — for light
  8. spring — the season
  9. file — a document
  10. march — music
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. march — the month
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. row — a line
  16. prune — to trim
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. spring — a coil
  19. prune — to trim
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bear — the animal
  22. file — a tool
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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