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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fall — the season
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. lie — to recline
  8. capital — money
  9. object — to protest
  10. capital — a city
  11. lean — to bend
  12. object — a thing
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lean — thin
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. fall — to drop
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. prune — to trim
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. fall — to drop
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. object — an aim

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