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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. plane — a tool
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. spell — magic
  8. rash — hasty
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. chair — a leader
  11. spring — the season
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. spring — of water
  14. rash — a series
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — letters
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pass — a permit
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. prune — to trim
  24. plane — in geometry

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