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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. face — to confront
  3. track — to keep track
  4. bank — of a river
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. band — a music group
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bank — for money
  11. prune — to trim
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to click
  14. saw — the tool
  15. track — a path
  16. saw — the tool
  17. track — a song
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — part of the head
  21. court — for sport
  22. band — a ring
  23. bank — for money
  24. court — of law

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