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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. stock — shares
  3. land — ground
  4. track — a path
  5. last — to go on
  6. band — a ring
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. last — final
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. last — finally
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. land — to come down
  17. track — a song
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stock — goods
  20. land — a country
  21. band — a music group
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. track — to keep track

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