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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 116 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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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: pop · safe · cap · prune · perch · track · kid · last

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. kid — child
  3. track — a song
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. last — finally
  7. perch — the fish
  8. track — a path
  9. cap — a lid
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. last — to go on
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. last — final
  16. track — to keep track
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pop — music
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — to visit
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. kid — to tease

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