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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 120 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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. cap — a hat
  4. land — to come down
  5. bark — to shout
  6. pop — to visit
  7. object — to protest
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. cap — of ice
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. object — a thing
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. object — an aim
  16. cap — a lid
  17. pop — soda
  18. land — ground
  19. track — to keep track
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. pop — music
  22. land — a country
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. track — a song

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