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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. net — after costs
  3. can — a tin
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. swing — in golf
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. can — a tin
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. swing — to play on
  12. track — a song
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. prune — to trim
  15. track — a path
  16. prune — to trim
  17. swing — music
  18. net — in sport
  19. branch — a division
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. net — for catching
  22. saw — the tool
  23. can — to be able to
  24. prune — the fruit

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