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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: prune · spell · object · plane · cold · content · patient · hide

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. object — to protest
  4. cold — not warm
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. object — an aim
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. prune — to trim
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. cold — an illness
  13. spell — letters
  14. object — a thing
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. spell — a short time
  19. plane — a tool
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. content — happy
  23. prune — to trim
  24. content — the amount

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