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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pop — music
  4. track — to keep track
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a music group
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. track — a song
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. branch — a division
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bark — to shout
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — to visit
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bulb — for light
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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