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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. track — a path
  3. cue — for pool
  4. rash — a series
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. track — to keep track
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. cue — a signal
  10. row — a line
  11. squash — the sport
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — to paddle
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. spring — of water
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. cue — a hint
  18. squash — to crush
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. spring — a coil
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. rash — hasty
  23. track — a song
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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