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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.

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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fall — to drop
  3. swing — music
  4. saw — the tool
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. land — a country
  7. land — to come down
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fall — the season
  11. swing — in golf
  12. wake — a trail
  13. staff — a stick
  14. land — ground
  15. swing — to play on
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pop — soda
  18. fall — to drop
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. staff — employees
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — to visit
  24. staff — employees

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