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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 120 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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — letters
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. season — in sport
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. race — the arms race
  11. spell — magic
  12. cell — a phone
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. race — a contest
  15. plane — a tool
  16. stock — shares
  17. prune — to trim
  18. race — humankind
  19. stock — goods
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — in biology
  23. season — of the year
  24. fan — a supporter

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