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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. season — of the year
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. cap — a lid
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. prune — to trim
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. spell — letters
  9. prune — to trim
  10. spell — a short time
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bulb — for light
  18. plane — a tool
  19. bulb — for light
  20. row — to paddle
  21. spell — magic
  22. cap — a hat
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — a line

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