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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. spring — the season
  3. last — finally
  4. last — final
  5. staff — employees
  6. pass — a permit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. spring — of water
  9. wake — a trail
  10. spring — a coil
  11. staff — employees
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. prune — to trim
  15. fine — high quality
  16. fine — all right
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. staff — a stick
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. can — a tin

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