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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. scale — in music
  3. prune — to trim
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. row — to paddle
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. last — finally
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bulb — for light
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. prune — to trim
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bulb — for light
  20. last — final
  21. row — a line
  22. last — to go on
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bulb — of a plant

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