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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. scale — size or range
  3. face — to confront
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. file — a document
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. can — to be able to
  8. prune — to trim
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. season — of the year
  14. face — part of the head
  15. wind — moving air
  16. can — a tin
  17. face — to point toward
  18. file — a line of people
  19. season — in sport
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. scale — in music
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. can — a tin
  24. file — a tool

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