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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. prune — to trim
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. fall — the season
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. fall — to drop
  8. plane — a tool
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. prune — to trim
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. rest — a break
  15. cap — a lid
  16. rest — what's left
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bound — obliged
  20. cap — a hat
  21. bound — tied together
  22. fall — to drop
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bound — certain

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