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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: leaves · prune · mouse · last · board · bowl · spell · track

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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. track — a path
  4. spell — magic
  5. last — final
  6. spell — letters
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. board — to get on
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. last — finally
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. last — to go on
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. track — to keep track
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. prune — to trim
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. board — a committee
  24. track — a song

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