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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 120 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — a weight
  4. cap — of ice
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. key — the most important part
  12. cap — a hat
  13. wind — moving air
  14. squash — to crush
  15. cap — a lid
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. prune — to trim
  18. sharp — clever
  19. key — for a lock
  20. wind — moving air
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. key — in music
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. squash — the sport

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