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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 120 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. staff — employees
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. track — to keep track
  8. perch — the fish
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. mine — for digging
  12. ball — a dance
  13. staff — a stick
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. track — a song
  16. branch — a division
  17. staff — employees
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. ball — a great time
  24. mine — an explosive

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