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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. prune — to trim
  3. track — to keep track
  4. field — farmland
  5. track — a path
  6. cue — a hint
  7. prune — to trim
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. sharp — clever
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — a trail
  14. track — a song
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. cue — for pool
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — for sport
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. cue — a signal

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