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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. prune — to trim
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. track — to keep track
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mate — a partner
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. mate — a friend
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bass — low music
  17. track — a path
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. track — a song
  23. bass — the fish
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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