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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. prune — to trim
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. wind — moving air
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. prune — to trim
  8. ground — crushed
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — to handle
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. cell — in biology
  14. wind — moving air
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. ground — a position
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. ground — the earth
  23. kick — in football
  24. cell — a phone

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