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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: bear · season · chest · mouse · dip · stem · spring · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — of the year
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — of water
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. stem — to come from
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. season — in sport
  12. bear — the animal
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. dip — to sink
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chest — a box
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mouse — the animal

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