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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bark — to shout
  6. fall — to drop
  7. track — a path
  8. fall — to drop
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — magic
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. wind — moving air
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. fall — the season
  17. cap — of ice
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bulb — for light
  23. track — a song
  24. cap — a lid

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