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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. tear — from crying
  4. staff — employees
  5. tear — to rip
  6. current — of water
  7. track — to keep track
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bank — for money
  10. spell — letters
  11. current — happening now
  12. wind — moving air
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. staff — a stick
  16. bank — for money
  17. track — a path
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wind — moving air
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bank — of a river
  22. staff — employees
  23. current — electric
  24. spell — magic

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