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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. game — wild animals
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. prune — to trim
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. band — a ring
  8. pit — in a race
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. game — a match
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. last — to go on
  14. stand — to bear
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. band — a music group
  17. prune — to trim
  18. last — final
  19. last — finally
  20. pit — a hole
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. stand — on your feet

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