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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — a tin
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. prune — to trim
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. dip — to sink
  12. fall — the season
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bound — tied together
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bound — certain
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. can — to be able to
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bound — obliged
  23. prune — to trim
  24. leaves — to go away

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