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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.

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: tear · spring · land · prune · hide · rock · suit · kick

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. spring — the season
  3. suit — in cards
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. tear — from crying
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. prune — to trim
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. tear — to rip
  10. spring — a coil
  11. suit — clothes
  12. land — ground
  13. rock — a stone
  14. land — a country
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. kick — in football
  17. land — to come down
  18. tear — from crying
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. prune — to trim
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. spring — of water
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — to move gently

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