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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fine — all right
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. saw — the tool
  5. current — happening now
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. current — electric
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. current — of water
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. plane — a tool
  16. prune — to trim
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. fine — high quality
  22. mark — a grade
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. fine — a penalty

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