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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. field — a subject
  4. face — to point toward
  5. prune — to trim
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. shower — to wash
  8. field — farmland
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. face — to confront
  13. pass — a permit
  14. branch — a division
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. field — for sport
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. snap — to click
  21. face — part of the head
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. prune — to trim
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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