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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. last — finally
  4. last — final
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. prune — to trim
  10. season — of the year
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. cell — in biology
  13. mine — for digging
  14. last — to go on
  15. suit — clothes
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. wake — a trail
  20. suit — to fit
  21. cell — a phone
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. season — in sport

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