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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 116 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: spring · prune · mark · shower · bulb · coach · wound · wind

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. bulb — for light
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wound — an injury
  6. spring — a coil
  7. wind — moving air
  8. shower — to wash
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. spring — the season
  12. bulb — for light
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mark — a trace
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. mark — a grade
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. wind — moving air
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. shower — rain
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. coach — a trainer

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