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

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. land — a country
  4. track — to keep track
  5. roll — a list
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. land — ground
  10. track — a song
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. prune — to trim
  13. deal — to handle
  14. track — a path
  15. roll — a cake
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. land — to come down
  18. roll — on a roll

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