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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. wake — a trail
  5. last — finally
  6. staff — employees
  7. cap — a hat
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pound — a weight
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cap — a lid
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. last — final
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. field — a subject
  17. staff — a stick
  18. field — for sport
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. staff — employees
  21. last — to go on
  22. field — farmland
  23. cap — of ice
  24. safe — out of danger

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