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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. march — the month
  4. snap — to click
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. prune — to trim
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. root — of a word
  10. prune — to trim
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. chest — a box
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. root — of a plant
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. root — the cause
  20. cell — in biology
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. lie — to recline
  23. chest — of your body
  24. cell — a phone

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