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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 116 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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. face — part of the head
  4. rash — a series
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fine — all right
  7. spring — a coil
  8. face — to confront
  9. root — of a word
  10. spring — the season
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. pass — a permit
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. root — the cause
  16. root — of a plant
  17. rash — hasty
  18. spring — of water
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. face — to point toward
  22. sharp — clever
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. sharp — with an edge

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