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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. suit — clothes
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. season — in sport
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. prune — to trim
  10. roll — a cake
  11. suit — to fit
  12. scale — size or range
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. season — of the year
  21. suit — in cards
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. roll — a list
  24. coach — a trainer

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