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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: content · prune · spell · staff · leaves · track

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. spell — magic
  4. staff — employees
  5. content — happy
  6. track — a song
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. prune — to trim
  9. track — to keep track
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. spell — letters
  12. staff — a stick
  13. track — a path
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. prune — to trim
  16. spell — a short time
  17. content — the amount
  18. staff — employees

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