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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. lean — thin
  3. firm — a company
  4. prune — to trim
  5. current — of water
  6. track — a song
  7. current — happening now
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — an illness
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cold — not warm
  13. lean — to bend
  14. mark — a grade
  15. current — electric
  16. firm — decided
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. mark — a trace
  19. track — to keep track
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. firm — steady
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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