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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. track — to keep track
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. last — finally
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. track — a path
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. track — a song
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. mark — a grade
  15. last — to go on
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. last — final
  24. leaves — to go away

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