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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. can — a tin
  3. swing — to play on
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wound — an injury
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wound — an injury
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. swing — in golf
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — a coil
  13. swing — music
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. can — a tin
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. track — a path
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. spring — of water
  22. can — to be able to
  23. saw — the tool
  24. dip — to sink

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