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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mine — for digging
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. kick — in football
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. cold — an illness
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. track — a song
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a path
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. cold — not warm

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