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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. track — a path
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. saw — the tool
  6. toast — bread
  7. rash — a series
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. track — a song
  10. clip — for paper
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a line
  13. rash — hasty
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. prune — to trim
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. prune — to trim
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. clip — a video
  21. saw — the tool
  22. track — to keep track
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bark — to shout

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