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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. land — ground
  3. prune — to trim
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. prune — to trim
  6. saw — the tool
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. spell — letters
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. saw — the tool
  11. spell — a short time
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. key — in music
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. key — for a lock
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. key — the most important part
  19. spell — magic
  20. land — a country
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. land — to come down
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — to sit on

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