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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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bass — low music
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. prune — to trim
  9. band — a ring
  10. track — a path
  11. prune — to trim
  12. face — to point toward
  13. track — a song
  14. face — part of the head
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. face — to confront
  18. bass — the fish
  19. net — after costs
  20. tube — the underground
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. tube — a container

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