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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. net — in sport
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bass — low music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. net — for catching
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. pop — soda
  13. bass — the fish
  14. cell — in biology
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. pop — music
  21. net — after costs
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. prune — to trim

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