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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: rash · ball · face · spring · suit · hide · prune · fall

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. fall — the season
  3. prune — to trim
  4. suit — in cards
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rash — hasty
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. ball — a dance
  10. spring — of water
  11. face — part of the head
  12. fall — to drop
  13. face — to point toward
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. spring — the season
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. spring — a coil
  19. ball — a great time
  20. face — to confront
  21. suit — to fit
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — a series
  24. hide — animal skin

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