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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: cap · fall · toast · tear · pop · prune · leaves · plane

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cap — of ice
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. tear — to rip
  8. cap — a hat
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. toast — bread
  12. pop — music
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pop — to visit
  17. cap — a lid
  18. pop — soda
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. plane — a tool
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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