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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 116 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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. bark — to shout
  4. land — a country
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. land — ground
  7. last — finally
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. track — to keep track
  10. prune — to trim
  11. band — a music group
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. prune — to trim
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. track — a song
  16. land — to come down
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — to grow
  19. track — a path
  20. last — to go on
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. band — a ring
  23. last — final
  24. wax — in the ear

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