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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a ring
  6. track — a path
  7. degree — an amount
  8. fine — high quality
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — size or range
  11. fine — all right
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. track — to keep track
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. degree — temperature
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. prune — to trim
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. degree — from a university

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