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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. staff — employees
  3. saw — the tool
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. saw — the tool
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. content — happy
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — a stick
  10. cell — in biology
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cell — a phone
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. content — the amount
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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