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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. roll — a cake
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. current — of water
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. cell — in biology
  8. spell — letters
  9. cell — a phone
  10. spell — magic
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. roll — a list
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. prune — to trim
  15. ball — a dance
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. spell — a short time
  18. current — electric
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. current — happening now
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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