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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. prune — to trim
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. bulb — for light
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stand — to bear
  7. wound — an injury
  8. can — a tin
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — a match
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. can — a tin
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. wound — an injury
  15. track — a song
  16. game — wild animals
  17. track — to keep track
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. can — to be able to
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. bulb — for light
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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