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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: leaves · prune · shower · land · safe · jam · roll · chest

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — a country
  3. prune — to trim
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. chest — a box
  7. roll — a cake
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. chest — of your body
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. roll — a list
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. land — to come down
  18. shower — rain
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. chest — of your body
  21. prune — to trim
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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