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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. prune — to trim
  4. face — part of the head
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. track — a path
  7. prune — to trim
  8. tear — to rip
  9. wound — an injury
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. face — to confront
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — to wash
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — a partner
  20. track — to keep track
  21. mate — to breed
  22. tear — from crying
  23. wound — an injury
  24. face — to point toward

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