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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: spell · court · cabinet · face · tear · mug · prune · fine

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. prune — to trim
  3. tear — to rip
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to confront
  6. fine — high quality
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of a king
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — to rob
  14. court — of law
  15. fine — all right
  16. face — to point toward
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. prune — to trim
  22. spell — magic
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. spell — a short time

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