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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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bear — the animal
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. prune — to trim
  5. lean — to bend
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — a trace
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. lean — thin
  15. spell — magic
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. spell — letters
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. date — the fruit
  21. track — a song
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bear — the animal
  24. track — a path

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