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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. prune — to trim
  4. land — a country
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. track — a path
  8. land — ground
  9. track — to keep track
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rush — hurry
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — a container
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. land — to come down

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