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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. drill — the tool
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wind — moving air
  5. track — a song
  6. stock — shares
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — the fish
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. stock — goods
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. track — to keep track
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. cap — a lid
  17. drill — a practice
  18. fork — in a road
  19. cap — a hat
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. drill — army training
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. cap — of ice

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