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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. track — a song
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — a trail
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. key — the most important part
  9. track — to keep track
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. spring — of water
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. spring — the season
  15. prune — to trim
  16. track — a path
  17. spring — a coil
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a hat
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. cap — a lid
  22. prune — to trim
  23. key — in music
  24. key — for a lock

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