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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · safe · file · land · face · bowl · track · prune

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a document
  6. track — a path
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. land — a country
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. track — to keep track
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. track — a song
  19. land — ground
  20. face — to point toward
  21. prune — to trim
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. face — to confront
  24. leaves — of a tree

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