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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mark — a trace
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rest — a break
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. mark — a grade
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. snap — to click
  20. plane — a tool
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. mine — for digging

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