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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. wound — an injury
  3. drill — army training
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. rock — music
  6. track — a song
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. prune — to trim
  9. snap — to click
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. drill — the tool
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. rock — a stone
  16. wound — an injury
  17. current — happening now
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. current — electric
  21. drill — a practice
  22. track — to keep track
  23. prune — to trim
  24. current — of water

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