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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: spring · bear · snap · fan · stem · prune · present · ground

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. prune — to trim
  3. present — a gift
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. spring — of water
  6. present — the time now
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bear — the animal
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. ground — the earth
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. ground — a position
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. snap — to click
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. present — there
  19. stem — to come from
  20. bear — the animal
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. prune — to trim
  23. spring — a coil
  24. ground — crushed

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