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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. track — to keep track
  3. prune — to trim
  4. dip — to sink
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. land — to come down
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. rush — hurry
  10. track — a path
  11. track — a song
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. ball — a great time
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — a division
  17. prune — to trim
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. land — ground
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. ball — a dance

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