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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: leaves · pit · craft · squash · face · prune · spring · toast

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. craft — a skill
  3. squash — the sport
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. face — part of the head
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. craft — boats
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — the season
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. spring — a coil
  15. prune — to trim
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. face — to confront
  18. pit — a hole
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. prune — to trim
  21. toast — bread
  22. squash — to crush
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. pit — in a race

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