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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: safe · hand · wind · chest · prune · present · track · court

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. court — of law
  3. track — a song
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. track — a path
  6. present — there
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. wind — moving air
  10. court — for sport
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. present — a gift
  13. hand — in cards
  14. court — of a king
  15. chest — of your body
  16. prune — to trim
  17. chest — a box
  18. track — to keep track
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. hand — help
  22. chest — of your body
  23. safe — out of danger
  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