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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bear — the animal
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — final
  8. last — finally
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. degree — from a university
  16. prune — to trim
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bear — the animal
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pitcher — a jug

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