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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. spell — magic
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. rush — hurry
  8. spell — letters
  9. deal — to handle
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. lean — thin
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. plane — a tool
  17. season — in sport
  18. lean — to bend
  19. spell — a short time
  20. sharp — clever
  21. prune — to trim
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. plane — an aircraft

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