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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. plane — a tool
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — letters
  6. prune — to trim
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. drill — a practice
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pit — in a race
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cap — of ice
  14. pit — a hole
  15. cap — a lid
  16. drill — the tool
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. cap — a hat
  20. wind — moving air
  21. drill — army training
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. spell — a short time
  24. prune — the fruit

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