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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wake · cap · bowl · club · leaves · toast · prune · fall

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. club — for dancing
  5. wake — a trail
  6. fall — the season
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. cap — a lid
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. cap — a hat
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. club — a group
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fall — to drop
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. toast — bread
  22. club — for golf
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bowl — to roll

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