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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pop — soda
  4. capital — money
  5. band — a music group
  6. track — a song
  7. prune — to trim
  8. capital — a city
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. track — a path
  11. drill — a practice
  12. band — a ring
  13. drill — the tool
  14. pop — music
  15. rash — a series
  16. bear — the animal
  17. drill — army training
  18. pop — to visit
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rash — hasty
  24. track — to keep track

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