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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: prune · leaves · cap · fan · plane · bay · bat · cell

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. cap — a hat
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — the animal
  8. plane — a tool
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. cap — a lid
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. cell — a phone
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cell — in biology

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