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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 120 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
468
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: sharp · mate · wake · cold · track · press · prune · safe

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a partner
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. press — newspapers
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. cold — an illness
  11. press — to push
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. wake — a trail
  15. cold — not warm
  16. mate — a friend
  17. track — to keep track
  18. prune — to trim
  19. press — a publisher
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. track — a song
  22. sharp — clever
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. sharp — with an edge

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