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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  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. bulb — for light
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. track — to keep track
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — a division
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bulb — for light
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rash — a series
  19. ground — crushed
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. rash — hasty
  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