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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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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 · suit · cell · tear · cue · foot · leaves · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. cue — for pool
  4. prune — to trim
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. cell — in biology
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. suit — to fit
  9. cold — not warm
  10. tear — to rip
  11. cell — a phone
  12. suit — in cards
  13. cue — a signal
  14. foot — a measure
  15. tear — from crying
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. suit — clothes
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cue — a hint
  23. tear — from crying
  24. cold — an illness

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