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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. prune — to trim
  3. chest — of your body
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. prune — to trim
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. season — in sport
  8. chest — a box
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. object — a thing
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. stand — to bear
  13. mate — a partner
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. object — an aim
  18. mate — a friend
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. mate — to breed
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. leaves — lets stay

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