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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — certain
  5. prune — to trim
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. chip — to eat
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. prune — to trim
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. track — a song
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bound — tied together
  17. root — of a word
  18. track — to keep track
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a partner
  21. chip — for betting
  22. mate — a friend
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — the cause

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