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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. can — a tin
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. face — to confront
  9. prune — to trim
  10. board — to get on
  11. can — a tin
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. capital — money
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. mark — a grade
  18. board — a committee
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. capital — a city
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — part of the head
  23. can — to be able to
  24. leaves — lets stay

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