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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: saw · leaves · mouse · prune · face · race · mate · track

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  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. track — to keep track
  2. face — part of the head
  3. race — humankind
  4. track — a song
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — a contest
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. face — to confront
  12. mate — a partner
  13. saw — the tool
  14. track — a path
  15. face — to point toward
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mate — to breed
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — to go away
  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