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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. season — in sport
  5. rash — a series
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fall — to drop
  11. cell — in biology
  12. capital — money
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. prune — to trim
  15. fall — to drop
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. season — of the year
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. rash — hasty
  20. fall — the season
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. capital — a city
  23. cell — a phone
  24. capital — a big letter

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