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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. fall — to drop
  3. game — a match
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. fall — to drop
  6. key — in music
  7. game — wild animals
  8. spell — letters
  9. key — the most important part
  10. prune — to trim
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. track — to keep track
  13. fall — the season
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. spell — magic
  17. key — for a lock
  18. track — a song
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. perch — the fish
  22. spell — a short time
  23. prune — to trim
  24. perch — for a bird

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