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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: toast · spell · track · file · season · calf · ball · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. season — of the year
  4. track — a song
  5. toast — bread
  6. spell — magic
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. spell — a short time
  9. ball — a great time
  10. spell — letters
  11. ball — a dance
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. file — a document
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. track — a path
  17. prune — to trim
  18. track — to keep track
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. file — a line of people
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. season — in sport
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. file — a tool

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