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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 120 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 · bay · stand · game · prune · plane · content · leaves

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. pit — a hole
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. pit — in a race
  9. content — happy
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. stand — to bear
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. content — the amount
  19. game — wild animals
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. game — a match

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