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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: rush · spring · prune · mark · leaves · pit · bat · track

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. spring — of water
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. mark — a trace
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — in a race
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. bat — the animal
  12. rush — hurry
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. spring — the season
  19. track — a song
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. track — a path
  22. spring — a coil
  23. track — to keep track
  24. mark — a grade

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