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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 was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — in biology
  3. track — to keep track
  4. wake — a trail
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fall — to drop
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. rule — a law
  9. fall — to drop
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. cell — a phone
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. track — a song
  15. rule — government
  16. track — a path
  17. fall — the season
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. prune — the fruit

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