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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — a cup
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a dance
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bank — of a river
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. saw — the tool
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bank — for money
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mug — to rob
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cold — not warm
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. row — a line
  22. ball — a great time
  23. cold — an illness
  24. bank — for money

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