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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. track — a path
  5. field — a subject
  6. prune — to trim
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bass — the fish
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. swing — in golf
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. field — farmland
  14. swing — music
  15. prune — to trim
  16. swing — to play on
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bass — low music
  19. track — a song
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. field — for sport
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. track — to keep track

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