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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. fall — to drop
  3. prune — to trim
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cap — a lid
  6. fall — to drop
  7. track — to keep track
  8. pop — music
  9. bore — to tire
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pop — soda
  13. sharp — clever
  14. pop — to visit
  15. track — a path
  16. prune — to trim
  17. track — a song
  18. bore — to drill
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. fall — the season
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a hat

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