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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 120 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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. face — part of the head
  4. season — in sport
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. can — a tin
  7. rule — government
  8. can — a tin
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. can — to be able to
  12. face — to confront
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. face — to point toward
  15. mine — for digging
  16. season — of the year
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. foot — a measure
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. rule — a law
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. arm — part of the body

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