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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. mug — a face
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. mug — a cup
  6. capital — money
  7. chip — to eat
  8. prune — to trim
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. cold — an illness
  11. capital — a city
  12. mug — to rob
  13. root — of a plant
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. prune — to trim
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. root — the cause
  23. chip — for betting
  24. root — of a word

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