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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. mine — for digging
  3. staff — employees
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. staff — employees
  6. lean — to bend
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. root — the cause
  10. prune — to trim
  11. staff — a stick
  12. saw — the tool
  13. root — of a word
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. lean — thin
  17. root — of a plant
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. prune — to trim
  23. court — of law
  24. mine — belonging to me

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