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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. clip — a video
  7. prune — to trim
  8. clip — for paper
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. pit — in a race
  15. plane — a tool
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bass — the fish
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bass — low music
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pit — a hole
  24. nail — for a hammer

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