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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. snap — to click
  5. wake — a trail
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. prune — to trim
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. dip — to sink
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. prune — to trim
  17. roll — a cake
  18. plane — a tool
  19. cell — a phone
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. cell — in biology
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wake — before a funeral

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