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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. prune — to trim
  4. hand — in cards
  5. key — for a lock
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cell — in biology
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. kid — child
  14. hand — help
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. key — in music
  18. kid — to tease
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. key — the most important part
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cell — a phone
  24. hand — part of the body

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