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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. root — of a plant
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. toast — bread
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mug — a face
  8. prune — to trim
  9. track — a song
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. track — a path
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. mug — a cup
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — a grade
  17. track — to keep track
  18. root — of a word
  19. wax — to grow
  20. mug — to rob
  21. root — the cause
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. mark — to pay attention

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