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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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Word bank
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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: spell · suit · leaves · patient · prune · lean · chest · dip

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. suit — to fit
  4. suit — in cards
  5. spell — a short time
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. spell — letters
  8. chest — of your body
  9. suit — clothes
  10. prune — to trim
  11. spell — magic
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. chest — of your body
  16. dip — to sink
  17. prune — to trim
  18. lean — thin
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. chest — a box
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

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