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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 116 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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. prune — to trim
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. track — to keep track
  13. field — farmland
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. ball — a great time
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. field — for sport
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wound — an injury
  21. field — a subject
  22. track — a song
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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