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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: pit · mate · rest · spell · rush · tear · leaves · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — in a race
  8. mate — a partner
  9. spell — magic
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. mate — a friend
  13. spell — a short time
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pit — a hole
  16. mate — to breed
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. spell — letters
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rush — hurry
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rest — a break

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