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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. row — to paddle
  3. saw — the tool
  4. track — a path
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. prune — to trim
  7. track — a song
  8. saw — the tool
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. rock — music
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. track — to keep track
  16. face — to confront
  17. snap — to click
  18. prune — to trim
  19. row — a line
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. face — to point toward
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. rock — a stone

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