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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mark — a trace
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — for sport
  7. pit — a hole
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. field — farmland
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mark — a grade
  13. prune — to trim
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. roll — a list
  16. roll — a cake
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. shower — to wash
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. pit — in a race
  24. shower — rain

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