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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. track — a path
  3. pop — music
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. pop — soda
  6. face — to confront
  7. swing — music
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. swing — to play on
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. face — part of the head
  14. track — to keep track
  15. prune — to trim
  16. band — a ring
  17. prune — to trim
  18. face — to point toward
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. pop — to visit
  21. dip — to sink
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. swing — in golf
  24. track — a song

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