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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bound — tied together
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. bound — obliged
  8. pass — a permit
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bound — certain
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — to point toward
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball

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