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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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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: suit · wake · file · track · land · chest · date · prune

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. track — a song
  3. file — a document
  4. track — a path
  5. land — a country
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — the fruit
  8. land — ground
  9. land — to come down
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wake — a trail
  12. chest — of your body
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. chest — of your body
  15. suit — clothes
  16. chest — a box
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. suit — in cards
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. file — a tool
  22. suit — to fit
  23. track — to keep track
  24. prune — to trim

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