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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. last — to go on
  4. bear — the animal
  5. last — finally
  6. tube — a container
  7. mark — a trace
  8. root — of a word
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. mark — a grade
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. prune — to trim
  15. root — of a plant
  16. prune — to trim
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. root — the cause
  19. last — final
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bear — 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