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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cold · saw · lean · prune · bowl · leaves · capital · roll

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. prune — to trim
  5. saw — the tool
  6. capital — a city
  7. lean — to bend
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. lean — thin
  11. saw — the tool
  12. roll — a list
  13. roll — a cake
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. cold — an illness
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. prune — to trim
  22. capital — money
  23. cold — not warm
  24. leaves — lets stay

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