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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a path
  4. row — a line
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. press — to push
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. club — for golf
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — a publisher
  14. row — to paddle
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for dancing
  17. track — a song
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. prune — to trim
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. safe — out of danger

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