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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. squash — the sport
  4. rock — music
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. rock — a stone
  9. track — a path
  10. prune — to trim
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. squash — to crush
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. prune — to trim
  21. perch — the fish
  22. track — to keep track
  23. branch — a division
  24. nail — for a hammer

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