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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. prune — to trim
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. shower — to wash
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. face — to confront
  8. hand — help
  9. shower — rain
  10. tube — a container
  11. prune — to trim
  12. face — part of the head
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. key — for a lock
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. tube — the underground
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. face — to point toward
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — in music
  24. prune — the fruit

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