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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. suit — in cards
  3. track — a path
  4. suit — to fit
  5. wax — to grow
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. game — a match
  9. prune — to trim
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. game — wild animals
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. prune — to trim
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. track — a song
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. suit — clothes
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. chair — a leader

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