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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. root — of a word
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. object — a thing
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. object — an aim
  13. root — of a plant
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a city
  18. prune — to trim
  19. root — the cause
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. object — to protest

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