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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. last — finally
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. track — a path
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. dip — to sink
  8. bear — the animal
  9. prune — to trim
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. kick — in football
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bark — to shout
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. prune — to trim
  21. last — final
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. last — to go on

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