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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bulb — for light
  7. season — in sport
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. bulb — for light
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. saw — the tool
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. pass — a permit
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to click
  18. season — of the year
  19. saw — the tool
  20. scale — in music
  21. prune — to trim
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. scale — size or range
  24. pass — to spend time

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