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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: plane · spring · prune · firm · season · bear · wake · bound

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. prune — to trim
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — in sport
  6. firm — steady
  7. firm — decided
  8. prune — to trim
  9. spring — a coil
  10. wake — a trail
  11. spring — of water
  12. plane — a tool
  13. spring — the season
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bound — obliged
  18. firm — a company
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — certain
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — to put up with

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