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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. fall — the season
  3. fine — all right
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. track — a path
  7. spell — a short time
  8. fork — in a road
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. prune — to trim
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fine — high quality
  14. track — a song
  15. spell — magic
  16. prune — to trim
  17. saw — the tool
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. track — to keep track
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. racket — a loud noise

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