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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: spring · date · prune · lean · cap · leaves · last · track

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. prune — to trim
  3. date — the fruit
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. track — to keep track
  6. last — final
  7. spring — of water
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — of ice
  11. track — a song
  12. last — to go on
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. lean — to bend
  15. spring — the season
  16. last — finally
  17. prune — to trim
  18. spring — a coil
  19. cap — a lid
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. lean — thin
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. date — on the calendar

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