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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 124 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. prune — to trim
  3. chair — a leader
  4. tear — to rip
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. prune — to trim
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — to visit
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bulb — for light
  16. tear — from crying
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bulb — for light
  19. kick — in football
  20. spell — letters
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pop — soda
  24. leaves — of a tree

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