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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. prune — to trim
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. roll — a cake
  7. drill — army training
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. mine — for digging
  10. drill — a practice
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fine — high quality
  15. drill — the tool
  16. roll — a list
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. snap — to click
  20. wake — a trail
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. fine — all right
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. wake — before a funeral

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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