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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. spell — magic
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. kid — child
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. prune — to trim
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. prune — to trim
  17. kid — to tease
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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