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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. net — for catching
  3. prune — to trim
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tube — a container
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. sharp — clever
  11. tube — the underground
  12. spring — of water
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. net — in sport
  16. prune — to trim
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. net — after costs
  19. spring — a coil
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. plane — a tool
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. spring — the season

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