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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. fall — the season
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. rush — hurry
  5. wake — a trail
  6. tear — from crying
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. key — for a lock
  9. fall — to drop
  10. track — a song
  11. track — to keep track
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. prune — to trim
  14. key — in music
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. fall — to drop
  19. track — a path
  20. prune — to trim
  21. key — the most important part
  22. tear — from crying
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. tear — to rip

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