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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 116 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bank — for money
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a path
  7. bank — of a river
  8. wound — an injury
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. wound — an injury
  12. prune — to trim
  13. track — a song
  14. season — in sport
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. bank — for money
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. shower — rain
  19. fine — all right
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. season — of the year
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fine — high quality

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