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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.

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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. object — to protest
  3. prune — to trim
  4. face — to point toward
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. fine — high quality
  8. object — a thing
  9. object — an aim
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a match
  15. plane — a tool
  16. fine — all right
  17. scale — in music
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. face — part of the head
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. scale — size or range
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. face — to confront

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