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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. prune — to trim
  6. club — for dancing
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. club — a group
  9. vault — a safe
  10. bat — the animal
  11. track — a song
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. club — for golf
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — a division
  20. track — a path
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. prune — to trim
  24. ball — a round shape

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