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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. face — part of the head
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rush — hurry
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. face — to confront
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. face — to point toward

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