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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. pop — to visit
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. file — a line of people
  9. plane — a tool
  10. content — the amount
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. prune — to trim
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a document
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pop — music
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — happy
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. pop — soda

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